Beware the Snake Read online

  “Right?” Snake says. “Best sandwiches in town.”

  I neither confirm nor deny this. We eat silently for a few minutes. Finally, Snake puts down his sandwich, and looks at me with somber eyes.

  “You’re not trapped, Jess, not forever,” Snake says. “I want you to know that. Once we start making money, you can take your split and get out of here, start a new life. Maybe you can get yourself some therapy, you know, to deal with your grief.”

  I stop eating, and look down at the table. I detected compassion in Snake’s voice, and I don’t know quite how to react to it. He’s also ensuring that I make it out o this whole mess unscathed, that is, if I decide not to try to kill Monty again.

  “But for now, I don’t have a choice.” I eye him challengingly. “Right?”

  Snake’s lips spread back into that cocky smile. “Right.”

  We finish up. Snake pays the bill, and he escorts me back to the car.

  “Where to now, pal?” I ask, sarcastically.

  “Back to your place.”

  “What about my car? It’s at the office.”

  “Don’t worry about that.”

  I expect Snake to drop me off when we arrive at my apartment building, but he pops the trunk before getting out of the car. I watch in horror as he lifts a duffel bag out of the trunk and slings in across his shoulders.

  “I need to keep a closer eye on you,” Snake explains. “You make me nervous, sweetheart.”

  My first instinct is to fight him on this, but I decide against it. In all honesty, I feel better having Snake close by. Sure, he can protect me from the big, bad boogeyman that most likely only exists in my head, but also, having someone else in the apartment might be a welcome change. When I look at him, I feel angry, and that’s a hell of a lot better than grief.

  I make a sour face, then turn around on my heels, marching up to my apartment. When we get inside, Snake tosses his bag on the couch like he owns the place. He points at me, then points at a chair.

  “Sit,” he says.

  “You think you can tell me what to do in my own home?” I ask, defiantly.

  “For as long as I’m around, I’m going to tell you what to do, sweetheart. And you’ll be smart to listen.”

  I’m growing exhausted from arguing. I sit in the chair, take off my high heels, and rub my sore feet. Snake disappears down the hall. I hear him opening drawers and looking through my closet. He’s searching the place.

  “Try not to cause any more damage,” I yell.

  Snake doesn’t respond. He emerges from the hallway, carrying the baseball bat I keep in my closet, then goes into the kitchen. He collects all of my knives, and anything else with a sharp edge, and stuffs them into his duffel bag.

  “Now you,” he says, pointing at me. “Stand up. Arms out.”

  I sigh with frustration, but eventually, I do what he says. “You already took my gun,” I say. “Which I want back.”

  Snake smirks. “You’re not getting that back anytime soon.”

  I hold my arms straight out from my body. Snake glances over me. I can feel his eyes on my skin, tracing over every curve. I have to fight to keep my arms from shaking. Once he’s looked me over, he steps closer to me. I can smell his aftershave, a deep, masculine scent, and I can feel the heat radiating off of his body. He starts at my wrist, carefully feeling up my arm with his probing fingers. He slides his palms over my shoulders, then down the sides of my waist. A wet warmth rushes through my lower body as his hands trail over my belly, and start to make their way up.

  “Watch it,” I warn.

  “I’ll be purely professional. Promise,” Snake says. But his voice is dark and thick. I know he’s full of shit.

  His hands travel slowly upward, more slowly, I figure, than is purely professional. He lifts one of my breasts up with the back of his hand, then feels underneath. He does the same to the other breast. When he’s done with this, he slips his fingertips down my neckline, sweeping across the top of my cleavage. Despite myself, my nipples grow tight and hard. The bra I’m wearing is thin, and this is clearly visible through my silk blouse. I glance at Snake, embarrassed by my body’s response. He’s looking directly at me with those dark eyes of his. By the growing bulge in his pants, I can tell his body is responding as well. He still wants me. In a way, it makes me feel powerful.

  Snake crouches down, and starts running his hands up one of my legs. I remember the night we met, and our brief time in the alley. I’m reminded of his sexual prowess, and his strong, dominant energy, the way his determined hands groped my entire body, seeking only to bring me pleasure.

  As his hands travel up to my thigh, I feel a surge of wetness in my underwear. I consider, perhaps, not resisting this time. And not because it feels so good, but I know I can regain his trust this way, and my plan won’t be dead.

  Snake glances up at me as he traces the hem of my panties. He seems to be testing my boundaries, to see how far he can go. He caresses over my ass, then down to my inner thighs.

  This fucking asshole, he still wants to fuck me, I think. The hatred I feel for him is hot, yet energizing. It sends more blood pumping between my legs. You fucking prick. You ruined everything.

  I adjust my feet, only slightly. That small movement slides Snake’s fingertips over my panties, directly over my swollen and sensitive lips. He gulps, and looks up at me carefully. He must feel how wet I am. With his eyes on my face, he wordlessly strokes up my slit. It’s like his fingers are electrified. Every touch sets off a thousand explosions in my stomach, rattling every nerve. He pauses over my clit, and with a dark smile, he presses into it. I gasp, my knees buckling. I reach behind me to grab the chair.

  Snake’s smile deepens. He presses against my clit harder, making a small circular motion. I close my eyes, craning my head back, while the warm, oozing pleasure overtakes my body. Why am I letting him do this again? The motives I’ve conjured up for myself barely make sense now. But it doesn’t matter. I don’t care. When was the last time I indulged myself?

  Snake reaches up my skirt, grabs my panties, and starts working them down my legs. When they’re off, he presses against my lower belly, pushing me back into the chair. My skirt rides up to my hips when I fall back. He pushes my legs apart, then lays himself on top of me. He grabs the neckline of my blouse, pulling it down. My breasts spill out. He immediately ravages them with kisses, taking my nipples between his lips and suckling. His hand is back between my legs. The feeling of his fingers against my raw flesh is even more intense. He takes two fingers and slips them inside me.

  “You’re soaked,” he growls, with a self-congratulating smile.

  Oh God, I fucking hate him. I hate every arrogant cell in his body. He thinks he has power over me? He pumps his fingers inside of me, and my anger dissolves as I feel myself about to come. Snake twists one of my nipples, and that sets me off. I throw my head back, my back arching, as I moan with abandon.

  When the orgasm subsides, I open my eyes to see Snake staring into my face. He takes his fingers out of me, then licks them, before standing to his full height. He puts one hand on the top of my head, while the other loosens his belt. His cock springs out, thick, and so long there’s a slight curve at the end, giving it a serpentine quality indeed. He pushes towards my mouth, tilting my head back.

  “As long as I’m here, you’ll do as I say,” he says. He draws the words out, making a slight hissing noise on the s sounds.

  I lick my lips and open my mouth. We’ll see who has the power here, I think, as his cock slips over my tongue. I make a tight seal around his shaft with my lips, then suck him up and down.

  “Fuuuck,” he groans, tightening his fingers in my hair.

  I suck him slowly, wetly, teasing him. His cock seems to grow even harder in my mouth. And I have to admit, I’m growing wetter too. My clit throbs, begging to be touched. I pull my head back, letting his cock slide out of my mouth, and look up at him.

  “Fuck me,” I demand.

  There’s
a spark in Snake’s eyes, and a determination on his face that frightens me a little. He looks down at me as he patiently takes off his jacket and shirt. His torso is deeply muscled, hard and toned, and his chest and arms covered in tattoos. The snake on his inner arm dances as he digs a condom out of his pocket, then removes his pants. He’s prepared. Has he been planning this?

  Grabbing me by the waist, he lifts me easily from the chair, and throws me over his shoulder, smacking my ass, hard, in the process. In my bedroom, he throws me down on the mattress, then rips off my clothes like a savage beast. He grabs my wrists and pins them down as he hovers over me.

  “You like playing with fire, don’t you?” he asks, bending to kiss the tops of my breasts. “That’s something we have in common.”

  I briefly consider that maybe he’s right. Maybe I’ve traded an alcohol addiction for an adrenaline addiction. But those thoughts leave my mind as soon as they appear. All I can think about is his rock hard cock ramming inside of me. I grab at his waist desperately. He sits up on his knees, ripping the condom open with his teeth, then expertly slides it over his shaft.

  Snake lowers himself over me. I feel him prodding at my wetness, spreading me open. He plants his hands on my shoulders, and with one sharp thrust, he’s fully inside of me. I clutch at his back, my breath shallow. That bend in his penis hits right where it counts.

  I expect Snake to take me hard and without mercy, to sink between my legs and pound me into oblivion. That’s what I want, a savage fuck from a savage man. Instead, he’s slow and gentle. He looks directly into my eyes while sweeping my hair back from my face. I get caught up in his gaze, and the slow, mounting pleasure. As we look at each other, another warmth develops in my cells, independent of what his cock is doing. He kisses the side of my face, then whispers into my ear, “You’re beautiful.”

  This is not at all what I expected. Snake is being kind, loving, even. He envelops me with his long, strong limbs, holding me tightly beneath him. I close my eyes and breathe in his smell, a smell that’s growing familiar to me. I wrap my arms around his neck while he kisses me on the lips. I grow soft beneath him. The energy that’s been pent up beside me is finally starting to release. He pulls back, then presses his forehead against mine as he continues to fuck me slowly.

  No, this is all wrong. It’s time to admit that I’m catching feelings for him. I can feel it spreading through my body like a virus. I can’t give in.

  “Stop,” I say, abruptly.

  Snake blinks at me. “Is something wrong?”

  I grit my teeth. “Harder. Faster.”

  Snake grins deeply. “Your wish is my command.”

  In an instant, he grabs my waist, and flips me over on my stomach, giving my ass a hearty smack. He hooks his arm beneath me, lifting my ass up. Grabbing my hair, he plunges back inside of me, then fucks me fiercely. The bed rattles beneath me as he uses his dick as a jackhammer.

  It works. All gooey feelings disappear as I climax over and over again. Snake holds my head down against the bed, fucking me relentlessly. I moan into the bedsheets as another orgasm racks my body. He collapses forward, groaning in my ear as he gives me one last thrust.

  Then, the snake slithers out of me, emptied and satisfied. My entire body is weak. All I can do is lie there. When Snake comes back from the bathroom, I pretend I’m asleep, and eventually, I am.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Snake

  I spend the night curled naked around Jess, listening to her rhythmic breathing. In the morning, I wake up to her breasts, bathed in morning light. I take a minute to watch her sleep. She’s on her back, the blankets bunched around her waist. One arm is extended over her head. Her lips are slightly pursed. I know that for all of Jess’ grandstanding, she isn’t meant to be hustling for the mob. She didn’t grow up like me, steeped in violence, where self-preservation is a necessity, and empathy an enemy. No, she’s higher class. She probably had a bedroom all to herself in a huge house on the beach. She grew up knowing she’d go to college, get a great job, and marry a guy just as wealthy as her father.

  I know her type all to well, but the others are nothing like Jess. This chick doesn’t give a fuck. And even though she turned on Monty, that’s what I like about her. No, I don’t just like her; I’m raging hard for her. I’ve already pictured her walking towards me in a wedding gown at least half a dozen times already. I look at her calm face, smiling. Whether she likes it or not, I claimed her last night. She’s mine.

  If the other soldiers on Monty’s crew knew anything about this, they’d think I’m fucking crazy. Maybe I am. But all I have to do is keep Jess in line, and they’ll never know anything. When we start getting rich off of our scheme, I know she won’t split. She’ll get a taste of this life, and knowing her, she’ll get off on it just like me. And after few more romps in the sack, she’ll get addicted to my dick, just like all the others do. I swear, my cock is a gift from the gods. It’s the perfect fit for a woman’s body, with curves in all the right places. Jess will never be able to go back.

  She shifts in her sleep, making her tits bounce a little. I grow hard with the urge to taste her. I bend down, grazing my lips over the brown birthmark on her side. She gasps lightly as I kiss up the incline of her breasts. I lick her nipple, making it harden. She gasps again, louder this time.

  I squeeze up closer to her, pressing my cock against her thigh. Fuck, I’m hard. I can practically feel the skin stretching over my shaft. I throb with the need to plunge inside of her, to feel her wet, warm, soft walls hugging all around me.

  “Snake,” I hear her say. She sounds different in the morning. Her voice is soft, a little croaky. And she doesn’t say my name like she’s spitting out a piece of bad fish.

  “Hey, baby,” I say, lifting my head from her chest. I stroke her face. Her eyes open wider, and she flinches with surprise. I roll on top of her, letting the tip of my cock trail up her inner thigh. “I was just about to wake you up,” I whisper in her ear. I bury my face in her neck to taste her skin.

  “Snake.”

  There’s a slight trembling in her voice. I breathe against her ear, and watch as goosebumps rise on her flesh.

  “Last night-“ she gasps.

  I smile against her neck. “Last night,” I repeat, guiding my rod closer to where it needs to be. “You have a good time?”

  “Yes- I- I mean-“ She sits up abruptly, pushing me off to the side, and hugs the covers up to her neck. She stares at me, her eyes wide and soft. She looks scared, a side of her I’ve never seen before. She closes her eyes, shaking her head, and there’s her usual expression again, tight and bitchy. “That can’t happen again,” she says, in almost a hiss.

  I’ve got to say, I lose most of my hard-on at this. “Okay,” I say, dully.

  Jess bites her bottom lip. “I mean, I don’t know what we were thinking. But that was a bad, bad idea.”

  “Yeah, sure.” I rub the sleep away from my face.

  “I mean, we’re business partners. Us, you know, together, it isn’t good for business.”

  “Right.” Actually, I was thinking just the opposite. I get out of bed, and start getting dressed, ignoring her completely. Just when I’m warming up to her, she has to go and piss me off again. “Don’t worry, Jess. I’m a one and done kind of guy. You know, I’m not in the market for anything serious.”

  Jess blinks, pulling her knees into her chest. “Oh. Okay. Then, I guess we’re on the same page.”

  I put on my shirt and tie, and start to feel a bit like my old self again. I even flash her my broad smile, the one I know pisses her off.

  “Don’t think I don’t appreciate you, sweetheart. That was fun. Now, get yourself ready. We’re meeting Monty this morning. And wear something revealing. That’s what he likes.”

  *

  Jess comes out wearing a light blue turtleneck and black slacks. She’s covered up, which is a direct slap in the face to me. I don’t say anything about it. I don’t want to indulge her little stunt. And i
f I’m being honest, I was being an asshole when I told her to wear something revealing, but that was the point.

  Before walking out of the door, I stop her, and give her fast, professional pat down to make sure she’s not armed.

  In the car, I find a radio station pumping rap music, and crank it up. So, Jess didn’t fall under the spell of my mighty cock. That’s a first for me. Or maybe she did, but she’s not ready to give up her stuck up bitch routine just yet. Maybe I can eventually change her mind. Or maybe she’ll just always be a bitch.

  I stick close to Jess when we get to headquarters. I look around the concrete slabs warily, unexpectedly nervous about bringing her here. Sal and Anthony sit in the corner, discussing something seriously. I nod to them. They nod back. The look in Anthony’s eyes don’t sit well with me. On instinct, I grab Jess’ arm, leading her to Monty’s office. The other soldiers aren’t all I have to worry about. It’s entirely possible that Jess could try something stupid. By the time we get to the back of the warehouse, I’m sweating fucking bullets.

  Monty totally ignores me, focusing only on Jess, when we enter his office.

  “Miss Hunt,” he says, taking her hand. “What a pleasure to see you again.”

  “Mmm-hmm,” Jess says, forcing a smile.

  I give her a look. She needs to get better at playing nice.

  “So, Jess,” Monty says, sitting behind his desk. “I take it Snake has discussed the revised plan with you.”

  “He has,” Jess says. She’s trying to smile, but it’s not quite working. She looks like a crazy person. “I think it’s a brilliant idea, to have the charges come from ShopSuite itself. You know, ninety-five percent of our customers make three or more purchases from our site within a month.”

  “I don’t doubt that,” Monty says. “I’m buying something from ShopSuite almost every night. I just ordered an espresso machine from there. Which reminds me, make sure my credit card number isn’t on that list.”

  Jess grips the sides of the chair. I see the whites in her knuckles. “Will do, sir.” She’s brimming with hate. It’s written all over her face.