Declare (Declan Reede: The Untold Story #4) (18 page)

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE: CRIME AND PUNISHMENT

I SAT IN the small room . . . waiting.

I didn’t want to think about how many other people had been given private lap dances in this particular room. My dick was entirely too ready for action to care. I hoped to God I had interpreted the tiny plastic penis correctly and it was Alyssa coming in to see me. If not—if I was wrong and some other random chick came in instead—I was going to chuck a fucking fit.

After almost ten minutes, the curtain pulled back and my jaw dropped. My eyes leapt out of my fucking skull and my mouth turned into the Sahara fucking Desert.

Alyssa sashayed into the space wearing a shiny black vinyl bodysuit. Spaghetti straps rested across the curve of her shoulders, her nipples were just barely covered with the sharp V shape of the bustier. Laced fastenings crossed her cleavage, leaving just the right amount of skin on show. Her legs were bare, pale white and silky smooth to contrast the dark colour of the vinyl. Six-inch heels and a black whip completed the ensemble. Just the sight of her made me anxious to drop to my knees and beg for her permission to touch.

“You were very naughty, crashing my hen night like that, weren’t you?” she said in a downright husky and sexy-as-fuck voice.

I nodded. “So bad,” I whispered, more than willing to call her bluff. “What are you going to do to me?”

Her eyes widened in surprise. “Um, wait. Do you actually want me to use this on you?” she asked, sounding just a little mortified as she looked down at the whip in her hand.

“Fuck no!” I assured her. I would do anything she wanted me to, if she genuinely wanted me to, but I’d never been spanked before and a Brisbane strip club wasn’t exactly my ideal choice of location to start exploring being on the receiving end of some BDSM.

“Have you . . .,” she started before trailing off.

I raised my eyebrow. “Do you really want to know?”

She hesitated and I opened my arms.

“Why don’t we discuss it later? Right now, I’m waiting for the striptease I was promised.” I winked at her.

She stepped closer to me. “I don’t really know how to do it,” she stammered.

“Baby, you don’t have to. Just standing there, you are a thousand times sexier than any chick who has ever graced any stage.”

She smiled. It ruined the overall Domme effect of her outfit, but it made her so much sexier in my eyes.

“Come here,” I whispered, crooking my finger to call her closer to me.

She moved toward me, staggering a little in her ultra-high heels. I stood, reaching out to stop her from tumbling. I ran my fingers along the inside of her thigh and wrapped her legs around me one at a time before lifting her up and carrying her back with me to the sole chair in the room. As I walked, I trailed kisses along her throat. I slid down onto the seat, ensuring Alyssa’s feet rested on the floor as I loosely held her hips.

“So, did you want to learn how to do this?” I asked.

She bit her lip, but I could see the excitement in her eyes at the idea.

“Stand back just a little.” I pushed her off my lap. I made sure she had her legs under her and then sat back to enjoy. I spread my legs to accommodate my cock, which was so hard it almost hurt.

She watched me adjust myself, taking obvious pride in my raging erection.

I smiled encouragingly. “Just do what comes naturally.”

She began to swivel her hips slightly to the music that filtered into the room from the main stage. Although muffled, we could hear that it was a slow, tantalizing beat overlaid by breathy female vocals. She closed her eyes, her half-naked arse beginning to sway gently back and forth as she moved in a tantalisingly slow circle.

“Oh, fuck, Alyssa!” I exclaimed as she dropped down and ran her hands along her own leg, sticking her arse squarely in front of my face in the process.

As her circle completed, she closed the small distance between us and leant her knee onto the chair between my legs. I felt the slightest pressure from her knee resting against my balls, and fuck, it felt good. I moaned and shifted lower in the chair to be closer to her.

She twisted suddenly, raising one leg over mine so she was facing away from me and her thighs were grazing along mine. The loss of contact between her body and my balls almost hurt. I raised my hands, grasping loosely on to her hips. She continued to sway from side to side while my fingers ran along the bottom edges of the outfit. I was trying to calculate exactly how difficult it would be to fuck Alyssa without having to remove the whole thing, because it seemed like such a shame to waste something so fuck-hot.

As if she sensed what I was thinking, she murmured, “It releases at the back.” Her fingers twisted around to show me the fasteners.

Oh, fuck me! It has an access panel!

I wanted to thank whoever had dreamt up the design as I made short work of releasing her pussy and then turned her around. I pulled her onto my lap, slipping two fingers down between us.

“Oh, fuck!” Her hot breath blew across my ear as I massaged my fingers into her. “That feels so—” Her sentence ended in a long, throaty groan.

I licked a trail along her chest, running from the opening of the suit to her collarbone.

“I . . . I need you . . .,” she stammered as I pushed her closer to the edge.

All thoughts of stripteases and seduction were lost in the rampant desire coursing through us both. She lifted herself off my lap long enough for me to push my pants down to my knees. I pulled her straight onto me, relishing the warm wetness that surrounded my aching cock.

“Holy fucking Christ,” I cried out as I thrust into her. I began to work the lacing that crisscrossed her breasts, longing to release them into my touch. I needed them under my fingers and in my mouth. I needed
her
. Finally, I managed to free them and brought my mouth to meet her nipples.

The same slow swaying motion she had used to tease me was now bringing me to ecstasy. I clenched her arse tightly with my fingers as I came in her, the slow burn igniting into a flash fire.

“Holy hell, that was hot,” Alyssa panted against my neck.

I wasn’t finished with her yet. I took the flesh of her throat into my mouth before ravishing her breasts again. As I kissed her, she began to giggle.

“I have to get back soon,” she murmured.

I shook my head, all my previous thoughts about not wanting to spoil her hen night gone. I didn’t want to let her go; in fact, I wasn’t sure that I could.

She pulled away from me. “We can continue this tomorrow, if you’d like.”

I nodded against her skin before a thought hit me. “Wait . . . where did this come from?” I ran my hands up the sides of her outfit.

“Eden.” Alyssa chuckled. “She gave it to me as a gift tonight. Said she thought it might come in handy sooner or later.”

“That cheeky minx,” I whispered. “She wasn’t supposed to give it away.”

“Don’t worry, she didn’t. Trust me, I was surprised.” Alyssa laughed loudly. “But not as surprised as Ruby. I’m still not sure she knows it was you.”

I joined in her laughter. “I guess you should put her out of her misery.”

“Yeah, maybe.” Alyssa giggled. “Or I could let her squirm for a little while longer.”

I guided her lips toward mine. “Wait a minute. That means this outfit can have an encore?”

She grinned at me. “Oh, it’s definitely getting an encore.”

“I love you,” I said after we’d shared a sweet kiss.

She rested her forehead on mine. “I love you too. I can’t believe we’re actually getting married in a few short weeks.”

“Believe it, baby. There is nothing I am looking forward to more.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO: THE PITS

I WAS HAVING a shitty day.

No, I was having a shitty weekend, and it was only Saturday.

And it’d looked so promising at the start.

With the wedding just one week away, Mum had arrived back in Australia and wanted to spend some time with her granddaughter. Even though Alyssa was anxious about leaving Phoebe in Sydney, Mum had convinced Alyssa to fly up to Townsville with me and the team. I’d been a little worried about taking her to a race meeting after the accident at Queensland Raceway, but I knew I had to get over that insecurity if I wanted to spend time with my girls, doing what I loved.

My Friday had sucked. I’d failed miserably in my bid to get two pole positions.

Four races, two poles. It wasn’t a tough task, and yet, I had failed.

I’d qualified in third position, which wasn’t bad, but wasn’t good enough either. I’d failed Alyssa; I wasn’t going to be able to provide her with the honeymoon we’d planned on.

To suffer that blow just one week out from the wedding was the worst.

And earlier that morning, my helmet had gone missing. I’d taken it with me to the event as my good luck charm, not that it had worked on Friday. But on Saturday morning, when I went to find it just before my second race, it wasn’t where I’d left it.

I searched all around the Mini garage and just couldn’t find it anywhere. Luckily though, Alyssa was in the Sinclair Racing trailer, and I’d decided there was no need to tell her just yet that it was missing. I pulled out my spare helmet and used it to go racing. I’d have a better look around once I was finished.

As I pushed the car around the track, I thought about Alyssa watching from the sidelines. It gave me a little boost. I finished in second and decided that even if I hadn’t won the right to return to London, it wasn’t that bad a result for the meeting, and overall my season had been pretty decent. I was first in the championship after all, and that was something worth celebrating.

I pulled up into scrutineering, ready to meet Alyssa like we’d agreed, but she wasn’t there. A niggle built in the pit of my stomach, but I tried to push it aside. No doubt she was just caught up on the phone with Ruby or in the trailer with Eden. It was nothing to worry about, I was sure of it, but that didn’t stop me from stressing.

After the officials were finished, I took my car back to the sheds, but Alyssa wasn’t there either. I tried her mobile, but there was no answer. With each failed attempt to find her, the suffocating fear I felt gained more traction. I’d completed at least three laps of the pits, but she wasn’t anywhere.

I raced to the Sinclair Racing truck, thinking that maybe she was in the office there with Eden. When I saw she wasn’t there either, full-blown panic set in.

For the first time in a long time, my chest swelled and my breath shortened. I struggled to get enough oxygen into my system. Something was wrong. I just knew it.

There was no way Alyssa wouldn’t be waiting for me. Not without trying to contact me in some way.

Every inch of my body was on edge. Alyssa was in trouble, and I had no idea where she was, or how to find her. The weight of it was staggering. I fell to my knees as a strangled sob ripped from my lips.

I tried to think logically, but I couldn’t. All I could think of was my desperate need to find Alyssa and my hopelessness over not knowing where to start. I buried my head in my hands and leant back onto my heels. I knew I had to get up and start searching, but the task seemed insurmountable.

Knowing that if I let the panic overwhelm me, I would never find Alyssa, I staggered to my feet and did one more lap of the pits. I couldn’t see or hear clearly through the mist that had invaded my head, but I made my way around as best as I could, certain that seeing Alyssa would clear my mind instantly.

After a moment, I grew aware of someone walking over and talking to me, but I couldn’t make out the words or the face. Hands pulled me aside and pushed me against a wall.

“Are you all right, man?”

I blinked, trying to clear the fog in my head.

“Sparky?” a different voice added.

I swung my head back and forth between the two voices who kept talking to each other and to me. Then I was jostled inside a trailer. I was aware of being shaken slightly. I wanted to be sick. My stomach twisted and my chest heaved with each breath I tried to take.

“Alyssa,” I croaked. I didn’t care what happened to me, which seemed to be what the two boys were concerned about. I didn’t care about exposure, or photos, or fans, or any of the other shit they were saying. I just cared about Alyssa. “Where is she?”

“I haven’t seen her,” one of the voices—which I finally realised belonged to Calem—said.

“Me either, but Hunter was asking about her earlier. He was over near the carrier trucks.”

“Hunter!” His name burst out of me like a curse and suddenly, I could see clearly. I took a deep breath, needing every ounce of strength I could muster. If he’d laid even one finger on Alyssa . . .

I yelled a “thanks” behind me as I scrambled from the trailer and ran toward the freight area. If Hunter was talking to Alyssa, I knew what he wanted. He’d been trying to find a way to get to me for the longest time. I growled at the memory of his taunts at work. I knew exactly where he would have led her, if given the opportunity. The one place at the track that was always deserted once everything was set up.

The trucks that brought all the support equipment were lined up in a car park on the far outskirts of the track. I raced there as quickly as my legs, and the hot race suit I was wearing, would allow. I’d barely reached the gate when Alyssa slammed into me. She was running as fast as she could, looking behind her anxiously.

Relief flooded through me. She was safe and back with me, where she belonged. I wrapped my arms tightly around her. She screamed at first as I held her, but then she realised who I was and relaxed into me.

“What happened?” I asked. “Where were you?”

She pressed herself hard against me. “Hunter.”

I set my jaw, furious. I couldn’t believe she would wander off with him. I’d warned her—repeatedly—how much of an arse he was. How fucking dangerous he could be. I’d even told her about the girls I’d rescued, even though it was a reminder of how things used to be for me. The things he’d whispered to me at work came racing back into my mind and my hands clenched into fists. I lifted Alyssa and turned around, leaving me positioned between her and the direction she had been running from. The direction where Hunter, the snake, was slithering in hiding.

I’d begun to head in that very direction when Alyssa grabbed my arm.

“Don’t!” she cried, as tears pricked her eyes.

“Why not, Alyssa?” I asked.

“I don’t want you to get hurt.”

I scoffed. “You don’t think it hurts that you would go off with him, knowing everything he’s done to me?”

She looked up at me. I could see rage and sorrow battling behind her eyes, and the mix stole my voice. I wanted to apologise, immediately knowing that I was out of line.

“You . . . you mean the world to me,” she forced out finally between sobs. “I went with him, because I thought it was you! He . . . he has your helmet . . .”

I stared at her, my mouth dry and my heart between my teeth. I heard the sound of a muffled cry and whipped my head toward it. I guessed it was coming from near where Alyssa had appeared from.

I took a step in that direction, but again Alyssa reached out to stop me. It was hard to understand why, when I was so much stronger than her, a light touch of her hand was enough to paralyse me.

“Please don’t,” she cried. “I couldn’t stand it if you got hurt.”

“You think
I’m
going to get hurt?” I asked. “That fucker, he’s the one who’s going to get hurt. I am going to make him pay for ever laying his eyes on you.”

She flinched.

“Wait, that was all he laid on you, wasn’t it?”

She dropped her eyes to the floor, and I thought I saw her shake her head slightly. I didn’t wait to find out what else the fucking bastard had done. I was off and running in the direction that I’d heard the sound come from. As I drew closer, the sounds of muffled fighting grew louder. I rounded the corner and saw Hunter and Morgan locked in a tight embrace. Both of them were throwing punches wildly.

“You prick!” I screamed. “You rat-bastard fucking prick. How
dare
you go anywhere near
my
girl!”

Hunter and Morgan both paused at the sound of my voice. Morgan was quick to use the momentary break to his advantage. He wrapped his hands around Hunter’s shoulders, pulling his arms back and exposing his stomach to me. I cracked my knuckles and sneered at Hunter.

“Now, you pay. Fucker.”

I drew my fist back and slammed it hard into Hunter’s side, listening to his pained holler with sick satisfaction. I went to strike again, aiming for his face this time, but before I could connect, I heard the absolute last voice I’d wanted to hear at that moment.

“What the hell is going on here?” Danny asked, low and venomously.

“They dragged me out here and attacked me,” Hunter said, his voice pathetic and pitiful.

“Tell him the truth!” I demanded. “Tell him what you did!”

Hunter shook his head. “I didn’t do anything,” he pleaded to Danny. “I swear.”

“Morgan?” Danny’s eyes shot straight to the third party in the situation.

“Hunter was out here alone with Alyssa—” Morgan started before Danny cut him off.

“And that’s justification for this?” Danny asked, his tone indicating that the correct answer was not yes. “Let him go!”

Danny’s calm authority was clearly not to be messed with, and with a firm shove, Morgan released Hunter.

“Get back to the pits. I’ll deal with this later. Declan, I’ll see you in my office as soon as the next race is over. Alone.”

Hunter turned back to me and smirked. He knew as well as I did that I was going to bear the brunt of this. I was the fuck-up. I was the one with the history of fighting. I was the one who’d complained bitterly about Hunter. I was the one Danny had overheard saying that I would do whatever it took to get rid of him. I was the one who was supposed to be racing with Morgan in the enduros after the break, but now that dream was drifting away into the fucking distance, despite the contract. All I could hope was between Alyssa, Morgan, and I, we would be able to convince Danny that Hunter wasn’t as innocent as he claimed.

Hunter snickered and licked his lips as he passed me. “Mmmm, tastes good,” he murmured, just loud enough for me to hear.

“You fucking bastard!” I cried and leapt at him again. Before I could do any serious damage, Morgan and Danny dragged me off him as I fought against them to try to finish the arsehole off. I noticed with satisfaction that Morgan used the opportunity to get another kick or two in.

“Hunter! With me!” Danny snapped. “Now!” He led Hunter off without a second glance.

“What the fuck happened, man?” I asked Morgan, scooping down to pick up my helmet that Hunter had obviously stolen and worn to lure Alyssa away from the crowds.

“I don’t know exactly. I just saw some kid talking to Alyssa earlier. Then she walked off in this direction, or skipped off might be more appropriate. A little while later, someone said you were looking for her. I couldn’t find you, so I went in search of her.”

I closed my eyes, almost afraid to ask what he found.

“It wasn’t good,” he said, confirming my worst fears. “He had her pinned tightly against the trailer. She was trying to fight him off, but he wasn’t listening to her.”

I growled. “I’m going to kill him. I am going to fucking
kill
him.”

“Man, I get it. I really do. But you need to back off for a bit. You’re already in enough hot water with Old Man Sinclair as it is. Just leave it to me. I’ll set Danny straight.”

He smiled, and I felt like agreeing, but I knew I wouldn’t be satisfied unless Hunter suffered because of me. Only when I heard the crunch of his bones under my fists would I feel vindicated. I wrung my hands together in anticipation at the thought of inflicting pain and suffering on him.

“Go to Alyssa,” Morgan said, resting one hand on the custom-designed helmet she’d given me for my birthday.

Of course, he would remind me of the one thing more important than revenge.

With that thought in mind, I rang Alyssa’s mobile. Eden answered it and let me know that they were back at the trailer. I ran the whole way there and straight into Alyssa’s arms. I let her sob against me until I finally had to leave. It was time for me to do my proper job. It had been drilled into me thoroughly that my pit job was my first and foremost responsibility at these events.

When I arrived in the pits, Ryan sidled up to me. “I hope you don’t mind that I got Danny before. I’d hoped he’d see the truth about Hunter.”

I waved him off. “Of course not.”

“What happened?” Calem asked.

Even though I was certain he was asking what I’d found, I answered the alternative interpretation of his question. “I’ll find out after the race.”