Page 32 of Lady Sings the Blues

9.

Elise

We fell asleep doing exactly what he said we were going to do, lounge in bed, talking mostly about club life and my time in Illinois and how I dealt with the panic attacks, watching movies and eating pizza. All naked. He wouldn’t let me get dressed even if I’d wanted to, which truth be told, I really enjoyed our day of nakedness.

Mark’s a thing of beauty. Tall and strong and his tattoos. Lord love a duck, those tattoos.

As he sleeps I turn to admire him some more, touring and tracing the roadmap of ink all representing his life with meaning. And that’s when I see the most breathtaking, startling piece of artwork on his body. Small. All black. A literal heart torn in half inked over his heart. The two pieces have been held together, wrapped several times with barbed wire. But the closer I study it, I see it’s not just barbed wire holding his heart together, it’s… that couldn’t be me, could it?Myname?

I wish he felt ready enough to tell me his last name. After seeing this, knowing how I affected him so long ago—I need to know him.

Each of his gorgeous eyes opens one at a time to the relentless screaming ring from his cell.

“Talk to me,” he answers as his greeting. His voice gravelly from sleep.

While he talks, I kiss. His chest. My name. His Adam’s apple. His jaw.

“Mmhmm…” he practically moans into the receiver when I suck his earlobe in between my teeth. “Fuuuk—” he groans then and I hear a man’s laughter. “I gotta go,” he tells the man on the other end, hanging up on him just that quickly.

Then the man is on me. He’s not fooling around, either. I go from kissing to coming just that fast. First his fingers, then his mouth. Once I’m liquid in his arms, he slides all that hard manliness inside me. My man is hung. Thor’s mighty hammer between his thighs. I lose myself to him as he fills me totally. We aren’t making love this morning. We are hardcore fucking and it’s glorious. Exactly what I need to forget I’m burying my father tomorrow.

He thrusts.

I moan.

He thrusts.

I pant.

He thrusts.

I come.

Long and hard.

Once he’s finished and holding me so I’m practically laying on top of him, he kisses the top of my head. “That was Duke,” he tells me.

“I suppose he needs you, club business?”

“Yep. I don’t wanna go. Not after this. As much as I love my club, nothin’ feels as good as being in bed with you. Even just loungin’.”

“Can’t he ask someone else?”

“’Fraid not. You be okay here by yourself?”

“Will you be home tonight?”

“You’ll be here waitin’, right?”

“Yes.”

“Then damn straight I’ll be home. We share a bed. Period. I’ve always done runs for him. Sometimes we have shippin’ issues. But we’re gonna have to figure this shit out. I won’t stay gone from you.”

He won’t stay gone from me? Meaning he’ll consider relocating closer to home? “Don’t get yourself in trouble on my account.”

“Baby girl, I took over for him when his wife got sick, I guess about three years ago now.”

“Duke has a wife?”

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