Page 15

15

CADENCE

I t’s incredibly hard to sneak into the bathrooms when it’s half-past-drunk-o’clock and women seem to pee in groups, but eventually I make a break from the nearby bushes and shut myself safely inside a stall. I freshen up as best I can, doing my hair and makeup while I’m behind a locked door, so there’s no chance for anyone to see me looking positively undone. By the time I flush the toilet and walk out of the stall, I feel confident that the people of Beaumont City are none the wiser about my secret life.

“Oh my God.” Martha Crinshaw and Jeanie Harlow cover their mouths at the same time and stare at me with huge, weirdly sympathetic gazes. I take a step back, and Martha shows me her palms, as if she thinks she’s spooked me. “ Cady . Everyone’s looking for you. Are you okay?”

I frown and move around them to the sink to wash my hands. “I’m fine. And I’m definitely not lost. Why are people looking for me?”

They look at each other and make strange faces.

“What’s going on?” I ask again.

“You don’t need to pretend to be strong, sweetie. It’s not your fault, and nobody’s going to judge you. We all know what king of girl you are, and the sheriff’s taking care of it.”

“Taking care of what?” I ask, as a heavy, sinking feeling hits my stomach.

“ Daryl Winters ,” Jeanie whispers, before covering her mouth again.

“That man should have been run out of town the day he arrived. He’s going to get what’s coming to him, Cady. Don’t you worry. You’re safe now. What do you need? Water? A hug? What’s the right thing to offer in times like these?”

“Times like these,” I repeat slowly, terrified of what the fuck may be happening outside the bathroom. I walk toward the door, zombie-like and push out into the chaos. The lights of Lou’s car are flashing red and blue, and I see a familiar figure sitting in the back, his hair a mess, and his head resting an odd angle on the back of the seat. What. The. Fuck?

I look around for Lou, desperate for answers, but walk straight into Dad.

“Cadence. Thank goodness. Let’s get you home before anyone sees you. They’ll only want to start gossip. I told you that dress would get you into trouble, but you wouldn’t listen. Honestly. I have done my best to protect you from the horrors of this world, and then you go and get yourself raped by that vile man. You’ll never be able to show your face in town again. They’ll give you a name, you know. What would you mother do if she knew? Her only daughter, violated by the ass-fucker.”

I pull my arm back from Dad’s grip. “Get myself…? I don’t even know where to—” I point at the cop car behind the barn. “What have you done?”

“What any decent father would. I’ve made sure that man can never touch you again. He’ll get serious time for this.”

“ Decent father? ” I splutter and storm away to find the Sheriff. “Lou? Lou .”

Dad chases me. “Let him do his job, Cady. We’ve all seen the evidence.”

I stop in my tracks and turn to face my father. “What evidence, Daddy?” I yell at him. “There’s been no crime. I’m a grown woman, and I wanted to fuck Daryl, so I did. I’ve been fucking him for weeks, and I plan to fuck him for years to come. And I don’t use any birth control. I could be pregnant with his child, right now, and I hope that I am. I’ve wanted a new family for years, because I am fucking done with the one I have. Forget me leaving in a week. I’ll be gone tonight, and I’m never coming home again. What do you think about that ?”

I don’t wait to hear his answer, because I can see Deputy Dan having what looks like celebratory drinks. Motherfuckers . I head straight for them, but Dad grabs my hand and yanks me back. “Let them do their job, Cady.”

“Their job is to protect and serve, not do unlawful vigilante shit and be a bunch of fucking idiots.”

“Daryl resisted arrest and assaulted an officer.”

“Why wouldn’t he resist? He’s not fucking guilty.”

“He’s going to prison.”

“Then so am I.” I flip him the bird, march straight toward Deputy Dan, and slap him upside the head. “Daniel Ferguson, you had better have a good fucking reason for locking my boyfriend in the back of that police car.”

Dan spits his beer, “ Boyfriend? ” He looks me over, and puffs through his lips in disbelief. “Cady, there’s no way we’re going to believe that kind of horse shit. Whatever that man’s threatened you with, to make you lie or keep a hush about the incident, it ain’t going to save him. You go home and take all the time you need to recover. He won’t be bothering you anymore, so don’t you worry about a thing. We’ll take care of it.”

I stare at him, dumbfounded. I shake my head. “I’m sorry, what ?”

Sheriff Lou joins us and clears his throat. “Cadence, your Daddy’s worried you’re acting out of character. He suspects you’re suffering some emotional — but perfectly reasonable — post-traumatic upheaval, and after hearing you just now, I can see his point. I understand you’ve been through a lot,” he says slowly and softly, “and if you need me to call Nurse Sheila so you’ve got a woman to talk to about what happened, I’m happy to do it, but we all think it’d be better if you went home and had some rest first. We can take your statement in the morning.” He points over at his car. “And if that man made you say that story, it ain’t going to help him none. Nobody’s going to believe a sweet girl like you was doing anything consensual with a man like that no how, so don’t waste your breath. You focus on getting some rest, and we’ll talk tomorrow. I’ve given your daddy the names of some counsellors, and I think doing a rape kit would be invasive and unnecessary at this point. We’ve got all the evidence we need, and it don’t seem right to put you through it.”

Ready to pull my fucking hair out, I scream at him. “ What fucking evidence ?”

Sheriff Lou shakes his head and takes a step back. “Don’t make me re-traumatize you, Cady. I can’t do it. You’re suffering enough. Look at you.”

I do look at myself.

I look at myself from everyone else’s warped perception and consider assaulting some people myself. But that’s not going to help Daryl. I need to stay calm and see everything for what it is and everyone for who they are — a big, fat lie.

This whole town is making my life the biggest fattest lie there ever was, and no matter how crazy, helpless, or victimized I’m being made out to be, I refuse to live it.

The demon always screams before it dies .

I stand tall, take a deep breath, and nod as I’m the calmest I’ve ever been. “Thank you, Sheriff, Deputy . As you suggested, I think I will take my leave.”

I walk away, forcing my brain to come up with a plan. I see my father in the distance and press myself against the nearest tree in the hopes he won’t see me. He stops to talk to Mrs. Peterson, and I can just tell he’s lapping up all the sympathy he’s getting from this Smear campaign he’s created to get rid of Daryl.

While he’s distracted, I quickly head the other way, ducking between the sheds, and doubling back to where Lou’s car is parked. Those doors to the back are only locked from the inside, so the criminals can’t get out, right? And nobody ever locks their cars around here. We’re a small town. Everybody knows everybody. It’s safe and there’s no need.

I creep close and try the handle. The door opens, and I slip into the backseat, where Daryl is handcuffed and bruised .

I pull the door nearly closed and shuffle over to him. “Mother fuckers . They beat you?”

Daryl rouses slowly and smiles when he recognizes me. “Hey, Beautiful. Are you okay?”

“ Me? ” I assess his swollen face and whimper. “Are you okay?”

He razzes his lips at me. “This is nothing. The way I grew up? I’m immune to this kind of shit.” He searches my eyes and plumps his bottom lip. “Don’t look all sad, Babe. I promise it doesn’t even hurt. Shit, Patty Maddog MacArthur had a better right hook than Dan — The Fuckhead —Fergusson.”

I snort softly and glance out the back window. “They’re all against us,” I tell him straight. “I think they’re trying to make out that I’m too traumatized and mentally disturbed to testify or something. I’ve tried telling the truth, but they refuse to hear it.”

“Sounds about right.” Daryl sighs. “I know how to deal with the situation, but it’ll take some time, and I’ll need you to make some calls for me — if that’s not too much to ask? I get the feeling I won’t be allowed to do shit until they decide to let me, and that could be a while yet.”

“Of course that’s not too much to ask, but I’ve got a better idea.” I get into a new position and shove Daryl’s legs together.

“What do you want to do?” he asks, doing his best to cooperate.

“ You ,” I say, unbuttoning his jeans and wrestling them down. “If they all think I’m the kind of girl who’d never consensually fuck Daryl Winters, then I’m going to show them otherwise,” I say, straddling him with confidence. “They did us a favor by cuffing you.” I rub my wet pussy against his cock and peel the top half of my dress down, to get my tits out. I thrust my firm nipples toward his face. “I want you to suck these. Are you sure you’re not in too much pain?”

“If I was, I’d be too distracted to think about it.” His cock jerks beneath me in confirmation. “Are you sure about this?” He glances out the car windows with wild, excited eyes.

“Very sure. I think it would be kind of cool to conceive our first kid in the back of a cop car,” I say with a grin.

Daryl’s cock strains at me in earnest, and he lets his head fall back as he moans. “That would be pretty cool.”

“And absolutely possible,” I assure him. “I haven’t once used any kind of birth control since we’ve been together.”

He lifts his head and stares at me, his eyes dark and hungry.

“I hope those dilated pupils are due to arousal and not head injury,” I say, only half-joking.

“Hundred percent lust,” he says in a low rumble. “You mean…”

“I want your babies. I’ve always wanted your babies. Your breeding kink turns me the fuck on, so I’m pretty sure I have it too. Do I mean that we could very well be having a baby nine months from now?” I nod. “Absolutely. But you should definitely come inside me again right now to increase the odds.”

His laughter is deep and full of heart. “I fucking love you so much, Cadence Malone.”

“Right back at ya, big guy.” I slide onto his thick, ready cowboy cock, and start to ride. “Feel free to be as loud as you want when you come. Attention is really the only thing that can help us tonight.”

“I can do loud,” he says, practically whispering.

“Are you sure?”

He nods. “When it’s time. I want to enjoy being fucked by a total badass in the back of a police car for a while first, if you don’t mind?”

He doesn’t wait for an answer. Instead, he latches on to my breast and starts lapping at my nipple hard and fast. Pleasure rockets through me, and I fuck him faster. “God, that feels good. I fucking love it when you suck my tits like that. It’s like I’m actually feeding you or something, and I don’t know why that’s hot, but it is.” He tugs harder with his hot mouth, and my pussy pulls tighter around his cock. “ Fuck .” I fist my hands in his hair and grind on him even more enthusiastically, chasing the pleasure he sends spiraling through my body. “Will you do this when the baby comes and there’s milk?”

Daryl thrusts his cock at me and moans into my breast before he releases my nipple. He pants at me, wets his lips, and looks me straight in the eye. “That’s what I’m already imagining every time I do it,” he says in a husky tone before he lunges at my other breast and latches on.

My pussy twitches with more orgasmic inklings, and I roll my hips, making his cock churn my depths while I imagine this big, grown man pulling milk from my breast. My pussy slurps at his cock with an abundance of fluid. A combination of my intense arousal and the volume of his last seminal deluge. The idea of my slicking him with his own seed this way, unlocks another level of enjoyment, and I increase my pace. Is this similar to the way he loves seeing me bred so much sometimes, he gets desperate to take me again?

Daryl pulls back, breathing hard as his muscles tense beneath me. He’s close. “Fuck, I love it when you’re pre-seeded and primed,” he says with a labored grunt. “I want to keep you this way forever.”

“Please do,” I pant at him, whining a moan as my pussy shudders with the threat of climax.

We’re a perfect match. I’m his girl, and he’s my guy. Tonight, everyone’s going to learn that truth, and the truth will set us free. I kick the car door open and fuck him like there’s no tomorrow.

“ Shit . Baby, you’re getting so tight.” Daryl slams himself against the backseat as he fights for self-control. “I hope you’re fucking ready for some noise, beautiful, because I’m about to go off like a fucking fire hose.”

I break first, wailing my pleasure into the night with all the power and freedom of a woman in charge of her life.

Daryl follows suit, swearing like a fucking trooper at the top of his lungs as he loudly professes his love for me. “ Yes . Cady. Fuck . I love you. I fucking love you, and I don’t care who knows it. You beautiful, fucking baddie. I’m so glad you’re having my baby.”

The car door slams shut, and Sheriff Lou climbs hurriedly into the front set. “What in the damn hell are you two doing?” He starts the car and starts honking at the crowd that’s congregating around the car. “Half the dang town is here to watch.”

“Good,” I pant, waving out the window at them with a grin. “It should be pretty fucking obvious to you all by now, that I am more than happy to fuck Daryl Winters. He’s still in fucking handcuffs, so there’s no way to paint him as anything but my victim.”

“ Willing victim,” Daryl says with a grin. “Totally consensual.”

Lou growls and drives toward town and the station. “Well, your antics have earned you both at least a night in jail.”

Daryl flops his head back against the seat and gives a happy sigh. “Worth it.”

“Definitely,” I agree, snuggling into his chest with a shiver that release a trickle of cum from my depths. I squirm at the deliciously naughty sensation and whimper softly at the resultant orgasmic aftershocks.

Daryl’s cock responds similarly, and he rumbles with approval as he moves his hips to stir the mess we’ve made. I press my lips to his, and coax his tongue into a long, luxurious kiss as we start making slow, passionate love.

“Stop that,” Lou commands from the front seat. “I can fucking hear you.”

I snort a giggle and bury my face in Daryl’s shoulder.

“Sorry, Lou,” he says, his tone serious and respectful. “And thanks for getting us out of there. I promise I’ll pay to get your backseat professionally detailed,” he says with an audible smile. “It’s really gonna to need it.”

Lou swears under his breath. “Filthy fucking…”

Daryl shakes with quiet laughter beneath me. He kisses my hair and rests his head against mine. “So, I guess your big plan to confront your dad didn’t go quite as expected, but I think it had similar results. Would you agree?”

“We definitely shattered some illusions and made it impossible for things to continue as they were.” I smile and listen to his heart beating strong and steady, before I push myself up to meet his dreamy gaze. “Thank you.”

Color fills his cheeks, and he looks bashfully out into the night. “For what? A chance to experience the superb accommodation facilities at the Beaumont City Jailhouse?” He sighs. “Probably should have taken you for dinner and a movie for our first night out together. Or some other thing that wouldn’t end up stamped on your permanent record.”

I smile, guide his face back to mine, and kiss his forehead. “I’m not worried about that. Nor anything else. Not anymore.” I kiss him again, so he’ll know he’s the reason I can be so brave when we’re facing the unknown. No matter what, I know he loves me, and that’s a gift I’ll always be grateful for. Nothing can touch the security I feel within myself or our bond.

“I love you,” I whisper, and kiss him again. “This is the best first date I’ve ever been on. And it’s kind of badass to have fucking a sexy cowboy recorded as a first offense.”

Daryl chuckles. “How many offenses you planning to have?”

“Oh, I don’t know. It depends, I guess. Is it a crime to marry an ass-fucker and live happily ever after?”

Daryl looks me over and wets his lips. “Did you just ask me to marry you? ‘Cause I respect you being a strong, confident woman, and all, but I wanted to be the one to do the asking.”

I press my lips together. “Well, are you gonna?”

“Heck yeah, I am.” He strains his abs to thrust his body forward for a kiss, and a shitload of cum squelches out of me to soak his lap even more. I slide around in it as Lou turns a corner, and Daryl looks between the mess and my face, his eyes wide and sparkling. “You want me to ask now? Or you want to let me organize something a bit more appropriate to share with the kids when they ask about it?” His lips give a playful twitch, and we laugh together as I hug him.

“That one,” I say with a nod.

He nods too. “Deal.”