Page 32 of Laila Manning (Shadeport Crew #3)

“ T ell me what you need.” I implored as she paced back and forth in the small meeting room. It was the first place I could get her to after carrying her from the ballroom. She was spiraling and needed privacy, and it would have to do until I could get her outside and home.

Fuck, I never should have made her come to the gala in the first place.

She clawed at her neck and mumbled to herself as she walked the length of the room before turning back and going in the opposite direction, only to do it again at the next wall. “Dove, please.” I begged, trying to break through her haze.

I let her down. Something triggered her after I left her alone, but I didn’t know what it was.

Ten minutes. That was it, I was only gone for ten minutes.

“Laila.” I raised my voice, “Stop.” She froze like she was finally even aware of her surroundings and blinked at me .

“Sorry.” She whispered, swallowing and dropping her hands to her sides. “I’m sorry.” She looked at the locked door behind me. “I fucked up.”

“No.” I stepped forward, and she stiffened, so I stopped.

“You didn’t do anything wrong, Laila.” She flicked her glance at the door again, and I tried not to get offended by her obvious discomfort at being alone with me.

We’d been making such progress with closed spaces, I thought we were past it, but maybe the triggering caused her to regress.

“Talk to me though, tell me what happened while I was gone.”

She shook her head before the words were even out of my mouth and started pacing again. “No.” She kept shaking her head. “I can’t.”

“Okay.” I recanted, “Okay, then tell me what you need. Tell me how I can help you.”

“You can’t.” She tipped her head back and closed her eyes as desperation took hold of her. “I just need to escape.”

“Escape.” I took a step closer to her now that her eyes were closed, and she wasn’t watching me. “Escape how?”

“My head.” She slapped the palms of her hands against her temples repeatedly. “I just want to get out of my head!” Her anxiety climbed with each word. “I don’t want to be inside my head anymore!” Her face crumbled. “I hate it inside here. All there is—is pain!”

“You aren’t trapped.” I closed the distance, fighting the anxiety growing inside of me as she broke.

“You are free.” I slid my hands over her arms, and she leaned into me instead of bolting out of my hold like I thought she would.

God, I needed her comfort right now as much as I needed to give her some, too.

“I’m not.” She cried, “One second. That’s all it took, and I was right back there. Chained up and captive. ”

“You aren’t.” Again, I said, “You’re free, and I’m right here.” I pressed my lips against her forehead as she melted into my touch. “I’m right here.”

“You weren’t though.” She shook her head, gripping the front of my tux. “You weren’t right there.”

“I’m sorry.” I kicked myself, hating that she got as far away from me as she did. “Fucking hell, Laila. I’m so fucking sorry.”

“Make me forget.” She clung to me tighter. “Make it all disappear. You’re the only one that makes my head just—stop.”

“What do you need?” I pulled her face back so I could see her, “Whatever you want, it’s yours.”

“Touch me.” She whispered with her eyes still closed. “Make me feel good the way only you can.”

“Dove,” I groaned, fighting the demon inside of me that ached to take what she was offering.

“Please.” She begged, “I need to escape, and you give me that out.” She opened her eyes, and tears swam in the chocolate depths of her irises. “Please.”

I growled in my chest, unable to stop the predatory noise. “Promise me this is what you actually want.” I fought to stay in control of my body as my need to consume her and help her rose inside.

“I promise.” She agreed eagerly without hesitation, “I need you, I’m tired of you treating me with kid gloves. I need you.”

After cracking my neck, I ran my hands down her waist to her hips, drawing her close against me. “I’m not fucking you in a conference room amidst a panic attack, Dove.”

“Zeke, please—” She cried desperately.

“Enough.” I commanded, and she stopped and bit her lip to stay quiet as I stared down at her.

“The first time I slide into your body, you’re going to be mindless from all the orgasms I’ve already given to you.

You’ll be drunk on the need and the pleasure, desperate for me exactly how I’ve been for you every single second of every single day since I first heard you moan my name in your dreams.”

“God.” She panted, rocking her body forward as my erection grew against her stomach.

“I’m not fucking you here, but I’ll make you feel so fucking good you won’t even notice that I’m not buried deep inside of you.”

“Please.” She mewed, licking her lips, and sliding her hands up and down my chest. “Please, Daddy. Take care of me.”

“Stay still.” I commanded, leaning down to kiss her lips and then down to her neck. “Don’t move.”

“Okay.” she whispered, loosening her grip as I backed away from her delicious body.

I pulled an armless chair off the wall and sat it in the middle of the room, watching her as she trembled where I had left her, watching me.

I undid the tie around my neck and pulled it free, laying it over the back of the chair before unbuttoning my jacket and taking it off, adding it to the tie.

She watched me silently, with her hands gripped tight in front of her like she was fighting her desire to disobey me and move.

I undid the cufflinks on my wrists and rolled my sleeves up, watching her stare at every move I made as I sank down onto the chair. I leaned back and spread my feet wide.

“Sit.” I commanded, running my hand up and down my thigh.

“What?” She stammered as her eyes flicked from my thigh to my face.

“Straddle my knee. Now, Dove.”

Her chest rose and fell quickly above the neckline of her dress. “Zeke, I—” She shook her head, letting fear and uncertainty fill her head instead of the lust she was consumed with moments ago .

“You can.” I corrected, spreading my legs further apart. “Straddle my knee and ride me until you come.”

“I don’t know if I can.”

“I already told you; you can.” I patted my knee, and her throat bobbed as she swallowed, “And you will. Because Daddy told you to.”

She took a deep breath and blew it out slowly before taking one step, and then another, toward me until she stood at my feet.

“Good girl.” I praised her, and she smiled cautiously at me. “Pull your skirt open and sit.” I patted my leg again, “I want to feel your hot pussy right here, Dove.”

She reached for the slit of her dress with shaking fingers, pulling the skirt open, revealing a sexy pair of red lace panties underneath it as she elegantly stepped forward, straddling my thigh and slowly lowered herself down onto it. We were eye to eye as she trembled in my lap.

“You begged me to touch you.” I feathered the back of my fingers over her cheek to her neck, over the erratic pulse point and then to her delicate collarbones right above her breasts.

Breasts I ached to see and taste again, but I fought my own needs to fulfill hers.

“To make you forget.” I skimmed my fingertips over the swells of those tempting breasts, and her head tipped back as she pushed her chest forward into my chest. “Make yourself forget, Dove.” I slid my hands over her waist and then into the opening of her skirt to hold her hips.

“Ride my thigh and come all over me. Be my good girl and take what you need from me.”

“Zeke.” She moaned and tentatively rocked forward on my thick thigh.

“Mmh.” She licked her lips and did it again, closing her eyes and rocking further forward and back, finding the right pressure and rhythm.

“God, I’m so horny.” She dropped her head forward and slid her hands over my tense stomach, using it for leverage as she rolled her hips in a circular motion at the front and back of every rock. “You make me so needy.”

“Even at your most needy, you don’t come close to feeling how deprived I am of you.” I growled, moving her hips with my hands as she lost her rhythm to her need. “How fucking desperate I am to consume you.”

“Yes.” She panted, “I want to touch you.”

“I’m right here.” I replied, drifting my fingers around to her back and making quick work of her dress, unzipping it and revealing her bare breasts to my hungry eyes. “You’re so fucking perfect.”

She palmed my erection through the fabric of my pants and squeezed, before dragging her nails up the length of it and making my eyes cross as I leaned forward to flick my tongue over one perfect nipple.

“Daddy.” She moaned, gripping me as she rocked faster and slid her hand around the back of my head, pulling me against her chest. “Fuck, you feel so good.”

“Use me.” I growled, nibbling on her nipple, and sliding my thumb between her pussy and my thigh as extra stimulation against her clit. “Come all over me.”

“God, I’m going to. I can’t stop it. I’m coming.” She panted before her entire body convulsed as if she was electrocuted and wracked by waves of pleasure as she came.

“Good girl, Dove.” I praised, pinching her nipple between my fingers and watching her as she kept rocking back and forth on my thumb and thigh, squeezing my aching cock. Her lips were parted, and her face was flushed as she gasped for breath. “My perfect Dove.”

“Fuck.” She gasped, collapsing forward and resting her head on my shoulder as she trembled from the aftershocks. “Thank you.” Her warm breath tickled the hair on my neck as I lazily ran my fingers up and down her spine as she came down from her high.

“You took what you wanted.” I reminded her. “You provided for yourself.”

She chuckled and leaned back to look at me through hazy eyes. “What a marvelous tool you allowed yourself to be for the cause, too.”

“I didn’t say I was perfect.” Her shriek of surprise pierced the air as I lifted her into my arms and stood.

“I didn’t say I was entirely selfless, either.

” Ominously, I sat her down on the conference table while standing between her parted thighs.

“I didn’t say I would not take what I wanted in return. ”

Her eyes widened in uncertainty, and I smirked at her confusion as I slid my hands up her smooth thighs to the band of her red lace panties still peeking out at me through the fabric of her dress.

I gripped the band and slowly tugged them down, sliding them down those perfect thighs as I stared deep into her eyes.

“It’s my turn to get what I need.” I growled, slowly sinking to my knees in front of her as I pulled her panties off and laid them on the table next to her.

“It’s my turn to taste you.” Her plump lip found its way back between her white teeth as she bit it.

“It’s my turn to feel you come directly on my tongue. Just like in your dreams.”

“Zeke.” She moaned.

“Daddy.” I corrected, pushing her thighs wide and exposing her perfectly pink pussy as I blew a teasing breath on it. “When your legs are wrapped around my ears and my beard is tickling your thighs, you will call me Daddy.”

“Fuck.” She moaned as I ran the tip of my finger up through her wetness before spreading her lips open to reveal her clit. “Yes, Daddy. ”

“Good girl.” I praised and flicked my tongue over her clit before sucking it into my mouth as she gasped and rocked forward onto my face. “That’s my good girl.”

She looked breathtaking with her dress draped around her waist loosely, with her marvelous tits exposed and her legs spread for me, with the flush of an orgasm already on her skin before I even touched her pussy directly. She was a goddess. I was unworthy.

But fuck if I was going to stop from taking what I needed desperately from her.

Her hands went to the back of my head, and she let out a guttural moan as she arched her back, riding my face like the sexual goddess she was. “Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God.”

“You taste like heaven.” I hummed against her body, watching her as I slid two fingers into her tight body.

It was the first time I felt her from the inside, and my cock leaked, just imagining how good she was going to feel wrapped around me for real.

“You feel like heaven.” I curled my fingers forward, and she gasped, widening her legs. “I need to taste your orgasm, Dove.”

“Yes.” She panted, opening her eyes again and staring down at me with her lips parted. “I’m so close again.”

“Come for me.” I demanded, sucking her clit into my mouth and rocking her forward and back with my hand. “Give it to me.”

“Zeke,” She screamed, tipping her head back and orgasming just like I told her to. “Holy fuck.” She gasped, collapsing back onto the table as she panted and came down again.

I chuckled, licking up the evidence of her orgasm and twirling my tongue around her clit, making her twitch for good measure, before standing back up.

She pried one eye open and smirked lazily at me before she sat back up, readjusting her dress to cover her chest. “In terms of not being fucked when I demanded to be,” She shrugged, “I’m still going to mark that one down as a win. ”

I tipped my head back and chuckled at her dry humor and then kissed her lips, leisurely tasting her and relaxing her. “Are you ready to get out of here?”

“Mmh,” She hummed, sagging into me. “I don’t think I can even walk.”

I zipped her dress back up for her and then slid my jacket over her shoulders to protect her flushed skin from the cool evening air. “Walk to the car, and I’ll keep your legs in the air the rest of the night.”

“Deal!” She cheered eagerly, sliding off the table and winking at me.

And gone were the anxiety and fear that had been consuming her when we walked into the room. And in their place, there was peace and humor. Which was exactly how it should be.

But as she leaned into my body and wrapped her arm around my waist for support as we walked out the rear exit of the building to my waiting car, I vowed to make sure whoever put her into that panic to begin with would never feel peace again.

No, they’d only feel terror and pain when I figured out who hurt her.

Because someone in that room tonight hurt my girl. And I wasn’t dumb enough to think they did it tonight.

They were from her past.

And I was going to end their future.