Nothing More Beautiful (35 page)

A clink caught my attention. It sounded like
a chain. “What’s that?” I asked, curious.

He stood over me, near my waist. “Something
to do the pinching for me.” A rush of minor pain bolted through my
nipples as he simultaneously clamped something to them. “How’s the
pressure?”

Once the initial pain subsided, the
lingering pressure added another glorious ingredient to the
orgasmic dish he was cooking. “Light,” I said. “I like it.”

“Good. I didn’t think we’d ever use the
nipple clamps, but you seemed like you wanted the pinch.” He
returned to his position on the lounge, and began pumping the dildo
in rhythm with his tongue, regaining the momentum lost from the
rest. Every so often he pulled on the chain that linked the clamps,
shooting a tinge of pain from my nipples through my breasts.

It didn’t take long before I reached the
point where Vince had paused. He tugged on the chain, and I
screamed in response, the crescendo of pleasure climaxing—my body
shattering under his divine dance of sexual prowess. Red flooded my
vision again, more intense than ever: giant bursts of color, like
fireworks erupting in the night sky. I screamed myself hoarse.

As I settled back on the furniture, my body
convulsed, my abs on fire, my legs jelly. The pleasure of the
clamps turned to irritation quickly. “The clamps. Take the clamps
off.” Vince was quick to respond, removing them in a hurry, tossing
them to the floor. “I want to see you.” He slowly lifted the mask.
The world was dim and fuzzy. He was standing over me, and his cock
looked as swelled as I’d ever seen it, about to explode.

I reached to stroke it, but the cuffs
prevented my touch. “Come inside me,” I rasped. He needed no more
encouragement. Picking up the wedge pillow from the bed, he placed
it under my ass, then straddled the lounge. After pulling out the
dildo, he grabbed his shaft just above the base, inching himself
inside.

Our eyes locked, and passion took control
from there, his body flexing like a Greek god. He came half a
minute later. His screams were so fierce that I thought he’d lose
his voice right then and there. Veins were bulging everywhere in
his body, especially in his forehead and neck.

He pulled out, his eyes foggy and half
closed, and I could see the euphoria in his spent smile. With
unhurried movements, he uncuffed my wrists and calves. I rubbed my
wrists, and the freedom felt unusual for a moment. I stood up and
wrapped my arms around him, squeezing with all the strength left in
me, which wasn’t much at all. After a kiss, I tottered to the bed
while Vince turned down the fire. The moment my head hit the
pillow, the world immediately dissolved, and I passed out from
wonderful, exhilarating exhaustion.

T
he morning after the most
mind-blowing night of my life, I found myself naked in bed,
rejuvenated. I gazed at the two rectangular sex furnishings and all
the sex toys strewn about on the carpet. Exhilaration coursed
through me at the sight of them.

I rolled over and noticed the bed empty.
Listening intently, I could hear the shower running, so I decided
to get up and make a pot of coffee. So far out in the boonies and
without any neighbors, I forwent dressing, feeling warm and
comfortable naked—and horny. When Vince came out, all clean and
fragrant, I planned to hop on him and give him a ride, since he had
done it all the night before.

The giant house was immaculate compared to
his condo. There were no books about, work files, or forgotten
dishes. No video games or movie cases. It was just clean and open
and beautiful.

The bright sun sparkled through the massive
windows, and I paused, staring at Mount Hood in the distance. Pine
trees covered the distance, and it seemed like there was nothing
else between the mountain and us other than the trees, standing
tall and proud.

I headed for the kitchen. Rounding the
corner, I jumped when I saw Terrance standing there, as if waiting
for me. He glared at me as I crossed my arms across my breasts,
ducking out of the room. I swore I saw him smirk with satisfaction
at my humiliation.

“It’s all right, love,” he said gruffly. “I
don’t much care for your goods.” He laughed a little. “There’s
coffee if you want it.” Frozen on the other side of the wall, I
could hear him pouring out what remained in the pot. “Oh, wait, I
guess I drank it all. Sorry about that.”

I tramped off on the hardwood flooring. His
laughed echoed in the house. As I entered the bedroom, I spotted
Vince leaving the bathroom. “We need to leave,” I growled, throwing
on my clothes.

“What?” he said, startled. He unwrapped his
towel and rubbed his butt with it in a silly way, shaking his penis
side to side. “Why? We just woke up.”

“I just need to go, that’s all. Could you
drop me off at home?”

“I don’t get it. What happened?”

“Terrance saw me naked just now, and I’m
uncomfortable, and I just want to go home.”

His face contorted in disbelief and
confusion. “Terrance saw you naked?”

“In the kitchen. Just now. I went to go make
some coffee, and he was in there.” As soon as I said that, the roar
of his motorcycle blasted our ears, the harsh noise fading as he
drove away.

“Looks like he was as uncomfortable as you
were,” he laughed.

“It’s not funny, Vince,” I snapped. “He was
really rude. He purposefully dumped out the coffee he made so I
couldn’t drink it.”

“He did?” His face told me he didn’t take me
seriously. “Now why would he do that? I know he’s not fond of you,
but that’s a little out of character.”

“I don’t know what to tell you. He did it.
Now could you take me home? I’m creeped out.”

“Sure. Yeah, let me get dressed.” After he
put on fresh clothes, he locked up all the doors, and we headed for
Portland. “Sorry if he scared you. I’ll have another talk with
him.”

“I don’t want to make this about me, but you
might want to get a new bodyguard—a friendlier one, possibly.”

“Yeah, I’ll think about that,” he said,
parking in front of my house. “This doesn’t have to ruin the whole
day, does it?”

The weird scene had freaked me out, but
being home gave me an odd sense of security and comfort. “No,” I
said. “Have you ever explored Sellwood?”

He shook his head as we got out of the car.
“I’m up for anything though.”

“Great, let me change, and then we’ll make
Mocha Momma’s the first stop on the tour.” I pulled him by the
shirt so that our bodies touched. “After we take another shower, of
course.”

THE REST OF SUNDAY
we had
spent lazily walking through Sellwood, and I had forgotten the
whole thing with Terrance by midday. Vince had an early meeting
with Alma the next day, and I always had to wake up early, so he
decided to sleep at his place, where we watched the Blazers game
before I headed home.

Monday came, and I was taking my first break
at work when my phone went off, vibrating over and over. I checked
it, reading thirteen voicemails, all from Alma.
Why would Alma
call me thirteen times?
I listened to the first message: “Maci,
it’s Alma. Call me back.” The second one played: “Maci, pick up.”
The third: “Have you seen Vince? He’s late for our meeting.” The
fourth: “Goddammit, Maci, pick up your fucking phone.” The rest
were all in the same vein. She was really distressed about Vince
missing one meeting.

I dialed her number.

“Maci?” Alma hissed. “Why the hell haven’t
you picked up your phone?”

“Hi, Alma,” I said with emphasis. “I work
just like you do. I can’t always pick up the phone.”

“Did you get my messages?” she asked.
“Forget that. Vince is missing. He missed the meeting and still
hasn’t shown up for work.”

“Maybe he slept in. People do that from time
to time, Alma. It’s no big deal.”

“You don’t understand,” she snapped. “Vince
has never missed a meeting. Vince is punctual, unlike you. I think
something has happened.”

I sighed, frustrated with her, and pissed
about the barb. “Have you tried Terrance?”

“Oh, what an excellent fucking idea” She
grumbled to herself before taking a deep inhale. “Yes, I’ve tried
Terrance. He’s not picking up either, and none of Vince’s security
seems to know where either of them is.”

I ground my teeth before answering. “You
don’t think Vince is home?”

“No, I don’t, and his
security
”—she
paused for emphasis and I could imagine her doing air quotes on the
other end—“team is too lazy to go up and check because I guess
Vince told them last night not to bother him.”

“I think he just wants to sleep, Alma. Or,
if you’re so worried, maybe you should go and check for
yourself.”

“Not possible. I can’t leave work. But you
can.”

“I can? I’m running a business, too, Alma,”
I snarled.
God, she is a bitch.
“Look, I gotta go. I hope
you chill out.”

“Wait,” she shrieked in a panic. “Please.”
There was an attempt at civility.

“What was that?” I asked.

“Please, will you go and check? I’m worried,
and I’m not a person who worries.”

I sighed heavily. She was practically
begging me, so I didn’t see how I could say no. Anyway, I could use
the points to get on her
good
side, if she had one. Not for
her, but for Vince and their friendship. I had to make the effort
for him. “Fine,” I caved. “I’ll call you when I get there to tell
you that you’re freaking out for no reason.”

“Thanks, Maci,” she said. A click came
next.

I found Bridgett in the main kitchen. “Hey,
I have to go to Vince’s real fast. I’ll be gone for an hour or
so.”

“Everything all right?” she asked, preparing
a cookie sheet.

“Yeah, I think so,” I replied, dodging her
as she reached for a container of flour. “I guess he didn’t show up
for a meeting, and Vince never misses meetings, so I thought I’d go
see what’s up.”

She nodded. “All right, see you in an hour,”
she said, her mind too focused to be drawn into the conversation.
That was understandable, and I did that too from time to time,
responding without hearing.

Hopping into Eddie, I drove across the city
to the Envoy. The elevator ride was long and quiet. When I got to
the penthouse, the door was ajar, which was unusual, as it normally
was closed or wide open with a plastic wedge under it.

The door creaked when I pushed it open.
“Vince?” I called. Only silence answered me. I crept through the
game room and into his bedroom. His sheets were tousled, but there
was no sign of him. The clothes he wore yesterday were on the
floor, as though he’d taken them off right before sleep and never
collected them when he woke. That wasn’t that strange, since he was
untidy in the morning, cleaning up at night if he wasn’t too
drained. I searched the rest of the house, finding no trace of him.
His cell was gone, yet his keys were on the hook in the kitchen,
and I knew he’d never leave his place without them.

I called the security guards that worked out
of Terrance’s condo on the floor below. Only two were on duty, and
only one of them bothered to come up. “So he left his keys?” the
tall, skinny man named Roy said, dressed in a fine suit that made
him look the part of a secret service agent. “That
is
a
little odd.”

“It’s also odd that no one can seem to reach
him,” I said, a little paranoid now.

“All I can say is that Terrance told us this
morning not to disturb Mr. Forte because he had a long night last
night. We told Ms. Perez that when she inquired earlier this
morning.” With his hands on his hips, he shrugged, his head cocked
to the side. “Forgetting his keys isn’t that big a deal anyhow,
seeing as we have a spare down below, and he could call us to let
him in if he was locked out. He’s probably just out on a run.”

“Terrance told you, not Vince?” That sounded
off. “Does Terrance normally do that?”

“Relay what Mr. Forte says?” he asked for
clarification. I nodded. “Not often, but every once in a while.
Most of the time Mr. Forte will tell everyone with a group message
using his walkie.” He scooped it up off the kitchen counter.

“I’ve never seen Vince leave his door
unlocked when he goes somewhere, have you?”

“Now that detail is the most peculiar,” he
admitted. “Mr. Forte has yet to leave his door unlocked or open
that I know about.”

“And you really think he’s just out for a
run?”

“That’d be my best bet, yeah,” he replied,
laying down the walkie.

“But Alma—” I stumbled over her name. “Ms.
Perez has been trying to contact Vince ever since early this
morning. Vince likes to work out, but for three hours?”

He hung his head in thought. “Yeah, I guess
that is a pretty long time. I’ll talk it over with Mark downstairs
and see what he thinks.”

“All right.” I shrugged off what he said.
Talk it over? What the hell did that mean? I got out my phone after
he left, typing in 911, pausing on the send key. Was I
overreacting? The security guys weren’t worried, so why was I?
Erasing the numbers, I called Vince’s gyms instead and asked if
anyone had seen him. No one had. A call to Imaginuity’s lab
revealed that no one there had seen him either. He was just
gone.

Panic started to settle in.

I dialed Alma. “Is he there?” she asked as
way of greeting.

“No,” I answered flatly. “And the security
guys just think he’s out for a run.”

“But you don’t think so?”

“I don’t know what to think,” I said
honestly. “His front door was open and his keys are here.”

“Those lazy bastards,” she snapped, but not
at me. “I told Vince they had little value.” I understood “they” to
mean his security team. “I’ll get the police looking. Thanks,
Maci.” She was talking fast, almost too fast for me to catch that
last bit.