Saving Sky Read online

  I moved on the couch with him, matching the same rhythm of his body with my own. It was impossible to tell where one of us started and the other ended. Our motions were fluid as I wrapped my legs around his waist and dug my heels into his ass to pull him deeper within me.

  He obliged, giving me every thick inch of him until I was fully stretched and filled like I’d never been. My head lolled back, and my jaw went slack as he kissed my neck and pounded into me over and over again.

  It didn’t take long for him to bring me to climax. His body was so perfect over mine. His muscles huge, his body lean. He had a tattoo on each arm, then another on one of his pecs. He was sexier than anything I could imagine, and I couldn’t get enough of him.

  Harder and faster we moved on the couch. His breathing told me he was almost ready to come as well, and I let him know how much pleasure I was feeling with my nails dragged down his back. He gasped, pressing his lips to mine, his tongue teasing me for just a moment.

  It was more than I could take. The tension that had been growing with me burst, and my climax rocked through me, causing my pussy to clamp down on his cock. I let out a loud cry. I didn’t care if I woke up the whole damn building. I couldn’t contain the electricity rushing to every part of me.

  At the same time, Jack pushed into me deeply one last time, holding himself there as his cock began to pump into me. I held onto him, feeling him fill me up with endless spurts of hot cum. It was better than anything I could have asked for; better than anything I’d ever imagined.

  We were a single being, connected for this one moment in time. I didn’t know what the next day would bring, or what, if anything, it would lead to in the future. But at that moment, it didn’t matter.

  All that mattered was Jack inside me, and the two of us satisfied and panting in one another’s arms.

  For the first time in a long time, I was truly and genuinely happy.

  13

  Jack

  The next day, I was in shock. I couldn’t believe I’d had sex with Sky the night before. It didn’t seem real. I hadn’t gone over to her place with the intent of having sex, and I was shocked when I walked back into the living room from the kitchen and she was practically naked.

  I did my best to make sure that it was what she truly wanted before going through with the act. I never wanted her to feel as though she had to do anything like that to get my attention.

  I didn’t want her to think I was just using her to get information on her boss. I wanted her to know that I wanted her. Plain and simple. Her body was so perfect, with curves everywhere a real woman should have them. Her breasts were large, and her nipples had tasted slightly salty on my tongue. And her pussy. Good God, she’d been so gloriously tight I’d almost come the minute I’d pushed inside of her. I still didn’t know how I’d managed to last as long as I had.

  I hadn’t left right away. It would have been a total dick move and I could tell that Sky wanted me to stick around for a bit. Shit, if she had asked me to spend the night, I would have.

  Afterward, we had put our clothes back on and sat back down on the couch. Sky put a show on the TV for background noise, and we talked some more.

  I didn’t ask her for any more information about Rocco. It didn’t seem like a good time. With the way she reacted to me every time I brought him up, I didn’t want to ruin the mood after the mind-blowing sex we’d just had.

  Besides that, I was able to learn far more about her personal life if she just talked without me interrogating her. I didn’t have to lead the conversation, I didn’t have to be the one to dig into her secrets.

  It didn’t take long before I learned more about her than I ever thought I would.

  “My mother was diagnosed with cancer when I was twenty years old,” she’d told me. “We needed money for her treatments, and a lot of it. Since she was too poor for insurance, she’d never had any, and by the time she needed it, it was too late. With a pre-existing condition, they wouldn’t take her even if she had a million dollars.”

  “I can’t imagine how hard that must have been for you,” I said, trying my best not to make her feel like I felt sorry for her. “I really can’t.”

  “Well, I knew I was going to have to get some sort of money for treatment and get it fast. I was working at a coffee shop, but that barely paid my own bills, let alone the bills that were coming in for her chemo and doctors’ appointments. So I quit and started working for Rocco. It was the easiest way to make decent money fast.. You know, I wanted to be a vet,” she said.

  “A veterinarian?” I asked in surprise. “Don’t they make decent money?”

  “I suppose so. But I didn’t have the money to go to college on a barista’s wages. And I really didn’t have the money to go after my mother got sick. I knew Rocco liked me. He’d liked me since the day I walked through the door. Disgusting creep,” she shook her head.

  “He didn’t leave a good impression on me, that’s for sure,” I admitted.

  She gave a mirthless laugh. “Yeah, I don’t think he leaves anyone with a good impression,” she said.

  “How is your mom now? Did the treatments help her?” I asked.

  She shook her head. “She passed when I was twenty-one. I’d done my best, but it wasn’t enough. I wanted to quit the club then, but by then Rocco had been so enthralled with me, there wasn’t any way in hell he’d let me go. He started threatening me, and I’m pretty sure he’s with the mob or something considering the men who come to see him and how shady they all are.”

  It all made sense now. And I was glad to know I was right. It was also comforting to know she wasn’t holding anything back from me when it came to him. She likely was kept in the dark with most of the things he did.

  “I’m sorry to hear that your mom’s gone,” I told her. “Do you have any other family?”

  She shook her head again, telling me she’d never known her father, and she was an only child. She and her mother had always been just the two of them against the world, and that had been okay with her. Until now, when she was on her own under the control of a ruthless asshole like Rocco.

  “So anyway, that’s my sob story,” she said with a shrug.

  “I’m glad you told me,” I said as I put my hand over hers.

  I spent the next hour giving her the details of my life. A normal childhood, normal parents, wanting to be a policeman since I was a kid, and how I got onto the force. It didn’t seem like anything compared to the life she’d lived, but she watched me with wide eyes the entire time I told her my story.

  “That’s incredible,” she said. “I’m glad you get to live your dream.”

  Sky didn’t mean anything by it, I knew, but I still felt guilty. It didn’t seem fair to me that I was the one who got to live my life the way I wanted, and she was trapped. But I was going to change that.

  It wasn’t until two in the morning that I left. I knew I’d be dead tired at work and that would make things hard, but I was okay with that. It was worth it to learn what I had about Sky.

  Hell, it would have been worth it just getting to hang out with her.

  “You’re in a good mood,” Welsh said when I walked into the station. I liked my job, but it was rare for me to be in a good mood when I showed up in the morning.

  “I think we’re making progress on this case,” I informed him.

  “Oh yeah?” he asked. “Did anything else happen?”

  I’d told him yesterday afternoon that I’d seen Sky that morning. I gave him most of the details of what she’d said, but I left out the fact that I’d gotten her name. I told her she could trust me, and I wanted her to believe it fully. She didn’t have to give me her real name, and I wasn’t going to spread that information without her permission.

  Of course, I trusted Welsh with my life. But it wasn’t my news to share, and I’d hold out on that until I had something worth saying.

  “No,” I replied. I also didn’t have any intention of telling him that I’d slept with her. Though he
was fine sharing his exploits with me, it didn’t feel like anything I had the right to share. She had really opened up to me the night before, and I didn’t want to abuse that.

  “It’s just a feeling I have,” I told him.

  “I hope you’re right. I hate to think of men like that running the streets,” he said with a snake of his head. “We need to get him locked up before he has the chance to hurt anyone else.”

  “Agreed,” I nodded. “Listen, there’s something I need to check on the computer for a minute. If you want to grab coffee or something you have time.”

  “Are you implying you want me to go get us some Starbucks before we head out?” he asked with a grin.

  “It’s better than the shit they’ve got here,” I said with a shake of my head. “Really.”

  “Couldn’t agree more. Deichman needs to learn how to make a pot of coffee,” Welsh turned his nose up at the cup in his hand, then he took off toward the garage. It would give me a few minutes to check on something I wanted without too many questions arising on his end.

  There were strict rules on the force. We weren’t allowed to date anyone with a criminal history. No felonies, anyway. It was case by case with misdemeanors. I didn’t want to entertain the thought that I might get the chance to date Sky, but I still wanted to see if it was even a possibility with my profession.

  Now that I had her full name, I could put it in the database and see if anything came up.

  My heart raced the entire time the search engine loaded. Our computer was older than it should have been, and it took longer doing things than I would have liked. I silently prayed the entire time she hadn’t done anything too bad in her past, and relief flooded through my veins when her name came up clean.

  Well, mostly. Shoplifting when she was in her late teens? That wasn’t anything that would stop us. I closed the window with a grin and headed to the garage, getting there just in time to meet Welsh.

  “Thanks,” I said as I got in the passenger’s seat. “Let’s make progress today.”

  “Always,” he said as he hit the gas.

  We sped off.

  I headed out of the house with a light step. It had taken me most of the afternoon going back and forth with myself over whether I was going to see Sky that night, but finally, my weakness won out. I was never the kind of guy to frequent the strip club in the past, but there I was, going again.

  She’d given me her schedule. She worked Tuesday through Saturday, ensuring she’d be there for the busiest nights of the week. Being a Wednesday, I knew I’d catch her. I hadn’t told her I was dropping by, and I wasn’t sure how things would go if I saw Rocco, but I wanted to see her anyway.

  I’d act like I didn’t know who she was, but I’d be sure to get a lap dance from her. Hell, I’d be happy with anything she’d give me. I had enough money to throw her way, though I felt like the luckiest man alive for the night before.

  I pulled into the parking lot and looked at myself in the mirror for a second.

  What the fuck has gotten into you? Since when do you care about how you look this much? Welsh would fall over laughing if he could see you now. Satisfied, I got out of the car and headed for the door. But the bouncer put his arm across my path.

  “Sorry, can’t let you in,” he said.

  “What?” I asked, looking at him in surprise. “You’ve got to be kidding, I’m a paying customer.”

  “Don’t matter,” he said. “Boss’s orders.”

  “You’ve got to be shitting me, right?” I looked at him with a set jaw, clearly challenging him. The man stepped all the way in my path, crossing his arms and looking at me.

  “Look buddy. I do what I’m told, and the boss made it clear you aren’t allowed here. I don’t know what you did or who you pissed off, but that’s the way things are. If you’re not happy about it, take it up with him.”

  “Don’t worry, I will,” I snapped. I turned on my heel and stormed back to the car, seeing red the entire way. Of course, I wasn’t going to call Rocco, but I had an uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach. Why the hell would he ban me from the club unless he knew something?

  Something had to be up. Rocco clearly didn’t want me anywhere near the place. A storm was brewing, that was for sure. I could feel it in my bones, and I was ready to put him down once and for all.

  I couldn’t shake the feeling of uneasiness that had settled in the pit of my stomach.

  More than anything, I hoped Sky was alright.

  14

  Sky

  I swung around the pole, leaning my head back and letting my hair fall free. The lights were spinning, and the men were throwing money at me by the fistful. Ruby and Candy were both busy with their own customers, and the newest girl, Diamond, was in the back getting ready. Destiny was crawling around on the stage, and Cinnamon was in the back laying on a table, letting a group of guys do shots off her body.

  As I swung another circle, I saw Chyna and Chardonnay chatting it up with a couple of rich looking businessmen in suits, and I closed my eyes. I had been assigned to show Diamond some of the ropes when she came out on stage, and I was waiting for her.

  With my eyes closed, I couldn’t make eye contact with any of the men who were ogling me. It made it nearly impossible for them to ask for a lap dance or other favors, and that was exactly what I wanted. If Diamond would hurry up, we could get her on the pole.

  But she was taking the job far more seriously than any of the other girls working, and she’d been in the back for nearly half an hour putting on makeup. I normally would have told her to hurry up and complained to Rocco about it, but anymore, I didn’t really care. She could fuck up all she wanted, it didn’t matter one bit to me. I had no pride or personal stake in the club. Although we were careful about giving out our real names to anyone, we all knew each other’s. We tried to stick together and watch one another’s backs while we were there. Diamond, however, didn’t feel the need to talk to any of us.

  She kept herself removed, telling us the job was merely the job, and she chose to keep her private life to herself. I wanted to tell her not to worry, I never wanted to hang out with any of the girls I worked with, but I kept my mouth shut.

  My mind was on other things, anyway. I would much rather daydream about Jack and what he was doing than think about work. Hell, I had taken to imagining that he was the man I was dancing for. Whether it was a lap dance or a pole routine, I imagined he was the only one in the room. It made it easier to get through a shift.

  He was the only one I wanted to touch me now. I thought back to the way his hands felt on my body, how he felt fully sheathed inside me, how his mouth tasted on my lips.

  The impulse to sleep with him had been taken me by surprise, but I’d just wanted to forget my life for a while and feel good. And Jack had made me feel very good. I just hoped he wasn’t regretting it today.

  “Okay, I’m ready!” Diamond said as she emerged. “What do I do?”

  “Be less obvious you’re a rookie for starters,” I said dryly. “Grab onto the pole, and spin. Wrap one of your legs around.”

  She tried it as I made a bit more of a show for the men watching. They were going wild for both of us, which made it a lot easier to teach her. I knew that her story was not like mine and that made me even sadder for some reason. She was on stage because she wanted to be. She wasn’t struggling to make ends meet or put herself through college. She simply wanted to dance.

  I would have given my right arm to get to go to school, but here was a girl who was merely rebelling against her parents. She didn’t like being told what to do, and she was making a point of that fact. Though we weren’t that far apart in age, I felt years ahead of her in wisdom. Luckily for me, she got a hang of things pretty quickly which meant I wouldn’t have to babysit her too much longer. “You’re a natural,” I told her.

  “I know,” she said with a smirk. “I’ve been practicing on a pole in my room since I was fifteen.”

  “Good for you,” I replied d
ryly. “Keep doing what you’re doing, I’m going to give you the stage for a minute.”

  She was more than happy to follow my direction, and I set off to see what tips I could make over at the bar. There were times when we’d serve drinks to the customers alongside the regular bartenders. It was a great way to boost the money that was thrown in the tip jar.

  As much as I tried not to, I found myself scanning the faces in the dark room often. It quickly became habit throughout the night, and I wished I wasn’t doing it. But there wasn’t any denying the fact, I was looking for Jack.

  I hoped he’d come in, and I hoped Rocco would be too occupied with his guests when it happened. I knew I was playing a dangerous game. If Rocco found out what I was doing with a cop, he’d be furious, and it only took one of his tirades and I’d been in a lot of trouble.

  Still, it didn’t stop me from wanting to be with Jack. It felt good to feel wanted and accepted. I felt Jack saw me for me. He didn’t look at me with anything but kindness and caring, and he wanted help me out of my situation.

  It would be a bonus just to think that he might be able to put Rocco away for a long time. I smiled to myself at the thought and see Rocco step out from his office.

  “Sky! What the fuck are you doing behind the bar? The lobby is packed! Get out here and get busy!” Rocco shouted from across the room.

  Everyone in the lobby turned and looked at the bar as he shouted my name, and I sighed. I had been trying to keep myself out of the spotlight for a bit and he had just blown my cover. Most likely on purpose. I knew I was a favorite among the customers in the bar, and now I was going to have a very busy night.

  I wandered back out into the lobby and started for the stage. I was going to check on Diamond, but Rocco was already heading in my direction. He grabbed my arm, not too hard in front of all of the customers, but hard enough that I knew he was pissed.