Ransom Ch. 05

"You are perfection," he whispered softly. And then his hands came under her knees, lifting them slightly before thrusting forcefully into her.

Kailee covered her mouth with her palm and screamed into it.

His movements came fast and hard and she clutched the tablecloth with her free hand as she felt her insides almost explode. She could feel her own dampness dripping down her thighs as he pounded into her. The dishes on the table rattled and a few plates shattered on the floor around them. Kailee barely noticed as her stomach clenched and warmed at the climax Dominic was building inside her. His grip on her hips was so tight it was as if he was holding on for dear life.

"Dominic...please," Kailee's voice was so small and desperate. She looked up at him with pleading eyes.

His lips inclined into a smug smile and she felt his fingertips press onto her core as he continued to drive into her. He stroked and rubbed her expertly until she couldn't take the building pressure any longer. Her hips lifted high off the table as she came hard, clenching her eyes tightly. Dominic continued thrusting into her and her legs turned to jelly as her orgasm pulsed through her.

He reached out, took hold of her wrists and pulled her limp body back to a seating position. She was pressed tightly against his chest and found his eyes staring intensely into hers as he fucked her. He gave one last deep thrust and then his forehead creased as he found his own release. He groaned raggedly and Kailee felt his load filling her. She tried to pull away, but he held her firmly against him. His warm seed overflowed and trickled down her backside. He continued to hold her against him as their breathing shallowed and his cock pulsed as it softened inside her. Kailee felt tears prickle at her eyes. It felt too intimate, too emotional being intertwined like this. Dominic brushed her hair back from her face and brought his lips to her ear once more.

"In two day's time, you're not going to want to leave me."

***

His words repeated in her mind over and over again as she finished her breakfast alone. He was right. He was making her feel things she'd never felt before. She'd already lost control of her body and now her mind was starting to go, too. She'd given herself to Dominic completely, begged him and let him take over. Who knew what she'd be like in two day's time.

She blinked back tears as Jakob led her back down the hallway and towards her room.

"Are you all right, Miss?" Jakob's concern was clear in his tone. "Did Dominic say something awful over breakfast?"

Kailee almost laughed out loud. When was the man anything but awful? And yet she couldn't seem to get enough of him. She couldn't stay here a moment longer. Pausing, she turned back to face Jakob. His forehead was creased with worry and he waited for her to speak.

"I'm okay," she said softly, "I'm just missing home is all."

His face filled with genuine sympathy. God, the man was so responsive to her he'd likely drive her home if she asked him to.

"Hey, it's okay," he placed a comforting arm around her, and then tensed slightly in surprise as she leaned into him. He paused for a moment, adjusting to the feel of her so close to him, then relaxed. "Your brothers will pay the ransom soon, I'm sure of it. You'll be home before you know it."

"Thanks Jake," Kailee sniffed slightly, her head resting on his shoulder, "I don't know how I would have managed the last few days here without you."

She gave him her sincerest expression and he smiled softly back at her. She was laying it on thick now and Jakob was ever the sucker for it. His concerned blue eyes were watching her intently and she held his gaze carefully. They were both silent for a few minutes and then, ever so slowly, she moved her face closer to his.

She saw Jakob's eyes register the motion. "Kailee?" he whispered with astonishment.

Her eyes fluttered closed and she brushed her lips softly against his. It startled him and she almost thought he was going to pull away. Instead, she felt him relax and he started kissing her back gently.

It was a vast contrast to Dominic's forceful affection. Jakob was a nice kisser. If there'd been any chemistry on her behalf, she might have enjoyed the sensation. His lips were placid and courteous, allowing her to take control. His mouth opened ever so slightly and she teasingly swept her tongue across his bottom lip, eliciting a desperate groan from him.

The gesture lasted little more than ten seconds, but Kailee was certain the kiss would be seared in Jakob's memory for a much longer time. During those ten seconds, she'd managed to manoeuvre her positioning slightly and she now used her upper body to slam Jakob's body into the wall. It was so quick, she barely even registered the look of surprise on his face. His head swung back and knocked sharply against the brick wall and he was down like a sack of potatoes.

"Sorry, Jake," Kailee whispered to the unconscious body. There was no doubt in her mind that he was going to wake up with one hell of a headache.

Checking the hallways were clear, she hurriedly started patting down Jakob's body and searching pockets for anything useful. A bundle of keys jingled inside his breast pocket and Kailee quickly dug them out. There were at least twenty keys on the ring, but she bunched them in her palm and prayed one of them would be of use.

She was sure one of the doorways led to Dominic's room so she avoided the hallway doors at all costs. Instead, she fled to the back entrance where she'd had lunch with Dominic. Of course, the door was now locked.

Examining the metal in her hands, she concluded that three keys were too big. She tried a smaller one. No luck. A distant crashing sound made her jump and the keys slipped from her hand and onto the ground. Cursing, she crouched down and quickly collected them. She glanced anxiously down the hallway. It was empty.

She fingered the keychain, trying to remember which keys she'd already tried.

"Fuck!" she hissed, urging herself to calm.

One key slid into the lock, but it wouldn't turn. She gave the door a shake but it wouldn't budge. She continued on the rotation.

Somewhere in the house a door slammed loudly. Kailee's hands began to shake.

"Come on!" she breathed as another two keys failed.

"Kailee!" Dominic's voice roared down the hallway. There was no playfulness to his tone. This was pure, undiluted anger. She could hear his footsteps fast approaching as she placed another key into the lock and...it turned. The lock released and the door pushed open. She stepped out into the sunlight and fresh air and sprinted as fast as her legs could take her.

***

Dominic watched from his monitor as Jakob walked the goddess of a girl back to her room. Fuck, she was perfect. He'd been speechless that morning in the bath when she'd given him the mother of all blow jobs. Not even high-rate escorts sucked cock as expertly as she did. Seeing her pouty lips wrapped tightly around his length had left him mesmerised. He'd wanted to pin her down and fuck her until she screamed his name. Of course, she'd slipped away too quickly and thought she'd gotten away from that until his little breakfast arrangement. She was like a warm summer breeze in that white dress; her wavy chestnut hair falling softly down her back. He wasn't going to be able to let her go.

He watched his screen as Kailee turned sadly towards Jakob. Something was wrong. Her lips were moving and she looked like she was about to cry.

Dominic's eyes narrowed. There was something deceiving behind those pretty green eyes. He'd seen it the night she'd tried to seduce him. She was bluffing.

Jakob placed an arm around Kailee's shoulder and Dominic's jaw tightened. He'd known Jake had a soft spot for the girl, but it was worse than he'd thought. He could see the adoration on his friend's face and Kailee was now leaning in to him, taking full advantage of the man.

A fleeting thought crossed his mind; maybe she wasn't taking advantage... He had, after all, forced her into submission. Perhaps she'd had feelings for Jakob all along.

At that moment, Kailee leaned in and kissed Jakob intimately on the lips. Dominic slammed the laptop shut with a growl.

His chest heaved as he paced the room angrily. Of course she was interested in Jakob; the man brought her tea for Christ's sake. Meanwhile, he'd abused her and used her body against her; what could she possibly want with him?

CRASH!

Dominic tossed his whiskey glass at the wall and it shattered into a hundred pieces. She was his, damn it! Even if he didn't deserve her, he would have her. He stood and took a deep breath, regaining his composure. He smoothed his hair back and opened his study door. If she thought she didn't want him, he would simply convince her that she did. He slammed the door forcefully on his way out.

Taking several long strides down the hallway, he didn't even notice Jakob lying on the ground until he nearly tripped over him.

"Unnngh..." Jakob groaned painfully.

"Jakob!" Dominic crouched down next to his dazed friend. "What happened? Where's the girl?"

"She...she tricked me..." Jakob struggled to find words, "So sorry...she ran..."

Dominic bolted in the direction of the back door.

"Kailee!" he roared. He wasn't worried. There was no way she'd be able to make it anywhere on foot. She'd manipulated his friend, knocked him out and then made a run for it. He was furious.

The back door was ajar with Jakob's set of keys hanging from the lock. Clever girl.

Dominic pushed his way through the doorway and out into the open air. He caught a flash of her white dress in his peripheral vision as she ducked into the tool shed. He laughed under his breath.

"There's nowhere to run, sweetheart," he called out in a singsong voice. "Come out now and I'll be lenient on you." It was a tiny lie. He planned on fucking her senseless until she passed out from the pleasure. Let her dare try to run away from him again.

He entered the shed casually, a cocky smile on his face. He wasn't expecting to walk face first into the barrel of a handgun.

Kailee was puffing hard after her frantic sprint and her hands were shaky on the gun.

"The keys to your bike," she blurted and he caught the slight tremor in her voice.

He smiled confidently at her, despite his surprise. How the fuck had she found that gun?

"Game's over, gorgeous. Put the gun down."

"Where are they?!" she screamed, taking a threatening step forward. Her stormy eyes were more livid than he'd ever seen them before. If the situation were different, the intensity in her features would have turned him on beyond reason.

"Come now, you're not going to shoot me. We both know you haven't got it in you." He shouldn't have gone for patronising, but he couldn't help but fuel the fire within her. And boy did it burn hot.

Kailee's eyes narrowed as she cocked the gun like a pro. This girl was just full of juicy surprises.

"Really?" she tilted her head to one side, "is that my poker face you're going by? Do you see any bluffs in these eyes, Dominic?" She took another step closer to emphasise her dangerousness. "Give. Me. The. Keys."

She was only an arm's reach away from him now. He could smell his shampoo on her windswept hair. He wanted to grab a fistful of it and run his tongue along the length of her neck. The weapon in his face deterred him.

Dominic reached into his back pocket and withdrew a set of keys. Twisting the key to his bike off the chain, he held his hand out invitingly, his eyes never leaving hers.

"You know I'll come after you," he promised in an icy tone.

Her fingers snatched the key from his palm and she backed slowly out of the shed, the gun never leaving his direction. Her foot caught slightly on an uneven brick and in the moment she steadied herself he was upon her like lightning.

The gun hit the floor heavily and the pair of them tumbled to the ground. He used his bodyweight to hold her down, but her limbs were tiny and she managed to squirm an arm out from under him. Her fist met his chin with an unnatural force for such a young lady and he staggered back in pain.

"Ugh!" he was disoriented from the blow and as he pulled himself back up, Kailee was holding the gun back towards him.

"Stay back!" she cried desperately, her bottom lip trembling.

Dominic stepped towards her, arms raised to try to reason with her, but a loud bang and a piercing pain in his shoulder stopped him. He cried out and dropped to the ground. He touched his right shoulder and winced. He looked down at his fingers to find them covered in blood. She fucking shot him!

Kailee was mounting the bike now and the engine started with a roar. Staggering to his feet, a cupped hand on his shoulder, Dominic started towards her, but the bike was already headed to the road and the pain in his shoulder was unbearable.

"Dominic!" Jakob was leaning against the frame of the back door. He looked hazy, but he was okay.

"Jake! Get the car - she's getting away!"

"Dom, stop, it's okay!" Jake had his mobile against his ear and was listening intently to someone on the other line.

"Jakob, get the damn car!" Dominic watched Kailee disappear around the corner and he staggered towards the house desperately.

"Dom, it's all right - the money's come through!"

"She's gone Jake...she's fucking gone!"

"It doesn't matter. I've got Alan on the line - he says the money's been dropped. We have the ten mill. It's okay!"

Dominic didn't register a word of what Jakob was saying. "She's gone."

***

A soft knock on his study door woke Nathan abruptly. He'd been finishing off a stack of paperwork and must have dozed off without realising

Mira stood in the doorway. She was dressed in a high waisted skirt and a white silk singlet, her hair tied loosely into a braid. Nathan would never stop being amazed by her effortless grace.

"What are you still doing here?" his tone came out with more irritation than he'd planned. The truth was, he was still chastising himself for kissing her the previous day and he wasn't ready to discuss what had happened. "Your parents will get suspicious if you spend too much time here."

Her brow creased in confusion. "They'd be more suspicious if I wasn't here; you know that."

She approached him hesitantly and he noticed she was fiddling with her hands nervously.

"Well you should go get some fresh air; it can't be doing you any good being cooped up in this house constantly."

"Why do I get the impression you don't want me here?"

He left her question unanswered and began ciphering through the paperwork on his desk. She moved so close that he caught the scent of her floral perfume.

"When you kissed me this morning..." she began in a small voice.

Nathan shook his head in frustration and looked up at her.

"I told you I was sorry for that," he said quickly.

"Yes," Mira replied, her blue eyes hopeful, "but I'm not."

And to Nathan's complete astonishment, she leaned down and gently pressed her lips to his. She kissed him hesitantly, as if she wasn't sure he would accept. He wasn't sure whether he should. She was so soft, sweet and inviting. Before he knew it, one of his hands had found the nape of her neck and he was kissing her back delicately, as if she might break if he kissed her too hard. She moaned longingly into his mouth and his own urgency swelled against his jeans.

He shouldn't be doing this. With great difficulty, he pulled himself away from her.

"Mira, stop." It was the last thing he wanted; he wanted to take all of her and never let her go, but things were messed up enough as it was. He needed to keep a level head while Kailee was still missing and Mira had a way of clouding his mind. He held his hands up in a cautioning gesture. "We can't do this."

Mira's cheeks were flushed and her lips puffy. Her eyes filled with rejection. "Why not?"

Nathan closed his eyes and sighed deeply. Because he couldn't control himself when he was around her.

"Because you're Kailee's best friend...you're young, inexperienced...you don't know what you want..." Nathan was rambling; exhaustion had taken over and he didn't know how to verbalise his thoughts.

He opened his eyes to find Mira's expression had changed from hurt to angry. He'd never seen her look so furious.

"You don't want me because I'm inexperienced?"

Nathan brushed a hand through his ruffled hair, "No...that's not what I meant."

"No, I get it. First I'm a tramp because I'm practically giving myself to Carl and now I'm too pure and innocent for you."

"Mira, that's not..."

The slam of the front door cut him off.

"Nathan!" Paul's voice echoed up the stairway, urgency in his tone. Nathan bolted past Mira through the doorway.

"Paul, what is it? Did you drop the money?"

He took the stairs two at a time, but froze on the last step.

Paul was grinning at him, an arm around a gorgeous girl in a white summer dress.

"I did, but it doesn't matter now. Kailee's home."

***

It was a miracle Kailee had been able to ride the bike steady enough to make it home. She'd only ridden a few times and that was years ago. It must have been the adrenaline that got her down that driveway and onto the open road. The first half hour into the ride, she'd been convinced she was heading in the complete wrong direction, but she'd been too scared to turn back in case Dominic was following her. Not even a bullet could stop that man.

She still couldn't quite believe she'd pulled the trigger. Sure, she'd told him she would kill him when she had the chance; but standing there on the brink of freedom and staring into his dark eyes; she couldn't bring herself to do it.

After fifty kilometres of solid riding, she'd seen a sign for a familiar town and relief had washed over her. She'd never been happier in her life than when she'd laid eyes on the grey cobblestone building that she called home. As she'd dismounted the bike, she'd realised her hands were shaking uncontrollably and she'd struggled to find the spare key to the front door. Paul had arrived at that very moment, very nearly forgetting to put the handbrake on the car when he'd seen her.

The four of them sat in the lounge room now, sipping on hot chocolate. Kailee had been staring into her cup for too long and the marshmallows had dissolved into a gooey mess on top of the chocolate. The past two days had been a nightmare, but for some reason she felt a little empty inside now that it was all over.

Looking up from her cup, she realised the others were watching her intently.

"So you just stole the guy's bike and rode home?" Paul seemed completely baffled.

Kailee nodded.

He nodded slowly, letting the thought process in his mind. Then his lips inclined slightly and his face twitched. Suddenly, laughter burst from his lips uncontrollably.

Mira threw him a disapproving look, but Nathan looked a tad amused as well.

"Paul, really?" he chastised.

"Sorry, Kailee," Paul let out a long breath and composed himself. "Fuuck, I just really wish we'd held off on the payment."

They all nodded in agreement and then there was silence once again.

"Kailee..." Nathan spoke hesitantly, as if there was something he wanted to ask her. She met his concerned eyes. "Did they..." he didn't finish his sentence, but Kailee knew where he was going.

Mira reached out and took hold of her hand.

"Are you okay?"

Kailee blew out a deep breath. "I'm fine, really," she lied. "I got thrown around a fair bit, but I think I caused more damage to them."