Perfectly Imperfect (Men of Whiskey Row Book 4) Read online

She opened her eyes, and he saw nothing but wicked intent as she playfully touched his cock with her toes. Casey jerked away and scowled at her. “Oh, that’s funny?”

  “You see me laughing?” she asked imperiously with arched eyebrows. “Now, Casey. I. Need. You.” Her hand trickled down between her legs, and she teased, “Or should I start without you?”

  Casey knocked her hand away and followed her down to the desk, his engorged cock poised at her entrance and his face a mask of tight concentration to keep control. Then he paused.

  Sidra lovingly kissed his throat and chest as she wrapped her long legs around his waist and tried to ease him in, but he was reticent. “Wha-what’s the matter? I’m dying here, baby!”

  He leaned over and whispered agitatedly into her ear, “I don’t want to scare Bean!”

  “What?!” Sidra asked in confusion, and he looked down between their legs and then back at her meaningfully and realization dawned on her. “Oh…I see. No, no, no, Bean is okay, honey!” she quickly reassured him. “But mama is another story ‘cause she’s hurtin’ for some of your good lovin’, boo. So you just go on ahead and-”

  “I don’t think we should do this right now,” Casey tried to ease off her but yelped with alarm when Sidra grabbed his dick gently but firmly. “Sidra-”

  “Shut up and listen to me! You can’t just get a woman all wet, hot and bothered then leave her!” Her eyes squinted evilly like Kathy Bates in “Misery”, and Casey broke out in a sweat as her grip tightened slightly. “Bean is FINE! But you know who’s NOT fine?! Mama! Because she ain’t gettin’ no vitamin D! Jack and Noelle are the horniest people I’ve ever met and fucked like rabbits throughout both of her pregnancies. I’ll be damned if you think I’ll be abstinent for the duration of this pregnancy! Mmmmph!”

  She could no longer speak as Casey’s mouth came down on hers brutally, and he plunged into her welcoming body. They both sighed with pleasure at the homecoming. The kiss softened as Casey moved slowly in her silken heat, rippling through her heightened nerve endings until he bottomed out and then slowly repeated the motions. Sidra’s hands drifted down his back, and her lips moved with his in time to the leisurely strokes that she was readily receiving, their tongues meshing together erotically.

  “ALWAYS,” he rasped, moving faster as she clenched tighter and tighter around him, a sure sign that she would be coming soon as her sex gushed around him. In Sidra, he’d found a way to destroy his demons. Her fierce love was the sword that slayed them one by one. As he looked into her enchanting eyes, he saw all of her love for him and that she was no longer running. She was standing still next to him, ready to face anything that would dare come their way.

  “ALWAYS,” she agreed in a breathless voice, her eyes focused on him, loving the way Casey looked at her. Always her. He saw her chaos and pain but still chose her heart every time, instead of walking away. He was as strong as a lion, the king of the beasts, but she knew his heart was as gentle as a lamb’s. He was her man, and she loved him beyond reason, for loving her just right.

  “I love you so much, Sidra Jane Barton. You and Bean are my entire world,” Casey’s low voice shook, not only with the precipice of his orgasm but because this woman broke him down and built him back up in every look and touched she graced him with. He would surely die without her.

  “Forever and ever, I’m yours. The both of you complete me,” she swore, holding onto him tightly. “I love you, forever and ever, Casey Sullivan. I can’t…wait! Cum with me.”

  Casey’s arms wrapped around her, protectively holding her in place from the wood beneath her as he plunged harder and deeper, the base of his spine-tingling more with every move of his hips. Sidra screamed her pleasure as he drove them higher and higher, convulsing around him as the orgasm crashed over them in tsunami sized waves of bliss.

  Panting heavily, they slowly came back to reality, and Casey reluctantly withdrew from her body, immediately missing her. He bent down and retrieved his shirt, gently cleaning the stickiness from between her thighs. “Are you okay?”

  She attempted to take the shirt from him, and with a scowl confirmed, “I’m more than okay. Please don’t use that shirt! It costs two hundred dollars!”

  Casey tossed the shirt aside and picked her up. “Taking care of my babies is priceless. Let’s get you in bed, and I’ll make us dinner. I defrosted the spaghetti Noelle gave me on my last visit.”

  Sidra laid her head on his shoulder as he carried them down the hall buck naked to their room, feeling the kiss he pressed to her riot of curls. “Yuuummm. She makes the best spaghetti. Garlic bread too?”

  “Picked some up this afternoon. We’re gonna eat, and then I’m ready for rounds two, three, and four,” he warned and she laughed as she rubbed his chest tiredly.

  “Dear God, you’re going to kill me!”

  “But what a way to go darlin’,” he smirked down at her sexily.

  They each had fears and more than their share of pain and flaws. Just a couple of imperfect souls made perfect by their love for one another. Perfectly imperfect. That was the best way to describe their love.

  ***

  I’m going crazy, Dominick thought as he left Fuzzio’s and glanced around at the darkened parking lot, paranoid that even now, someone was watching him. Even though he’d acquired two bodyguards, courtesy of Darby Sullivan, that Vivienne insisted he now have, and who moved into bedrooms on either side of him, he was still scared out of his mind. Seventy-two hours was the time she’d asked him for when he informed her that he had a week to make a decision.

  “Everything okay, boss?” Wall asked abruptly as he trudged along next to Dominick. It was the name he’d secretly given the enormous man when he showed up at his security gate reporting for duty.

  “Yeah, it’s cool,” Dominick muttered, wondering what Sidra would say about the man’s presence when she saw him tomorrow. Suddenly, Wall stepped in front of him protectively, blocking Dominick’s vision, and his hand pulled his firearm out in front of him.

  “That’s far enough!” he ordered. “State your business with Mr. Harris.”

  “My business is none of your business,” the voice said icily, but Dominick recognized it immediately.

  “It’s cool, I know her.” As soon as the words left his mouth, he realized the falsehood of his statement. He knew who she was and that she was very determined, just like he was. They had a common goal, but how far would she go to achieve it? But there was no way that she could be his blackmailer because it wouldn’t make sense…then again none of it did.

  Wall stepped aside, and Nina Santos was revealed to him. This time, she wore a short black dress. Her crimson lips were the only splash of color on her pale face.

  “So, have you made your decision, Dominick?” Nina challenged impatiently, unaware of the storm brewing within him. “Your deadline was yesterday, and as I didn’t hear from you, I thought I should follow up in person.”

  “That’s your fucking problem, lady,” he snarled, walking up to her and backing her against her Audi. “You’re so damned spoiled that you didn’t realize my lack of a response was my answer! But now I have a question for you: Was it you who sent me that envelope? Was it, Nina?!” He was in her face with wild eyes, breathing heavily and out of control as he slammed his fist on the Audi’s roof, making her jump. “ANSWER ME YOU OVER-PRIVELEDGED BITCH! WAS. IT. YOU?!”

  “That’s enough, boss!” Wall pulled him back sharply and led him to the car, but Dominick wasn’t done, frothing at the mouth and struggling against the larger man.

  He screamed out to her, “SHE’S WORTH TEN OF YOU! ON YOUR BEST DAY, EVEN IF THE POPE BLESSED YOU HIMSELF AND SHIT GLITTER ON YOUR HEAD, YOU COULD NEVER BE HALF THE PERSON SHE IS!”

  “GET IN THE FUCKING CAR!” Wall shouted, unlocking it and shoving him in before going around and starting it. The vehicle peeled out of the parking lot leaving Nina standing there shaking at the hatred and vitriol Dominick had unleashed on her.

  Calmly, she got back i
nto her car and locked it, her body boiling with rage at the words he’d dared to speak to her. His obvious devotion to Sidra was a bitter pill for her to swallow. Every man she encountered became ensnared by the bitch, Nina thought spitefully, reaching into her purse and grabbing her Italian stiletto switchblade. Dominick was so lucky that she hadn’t been carrying it, Nina thought as she leaned her seat back and viciously stabbed into the expensive leather of her passenger seat, imagining it was their faces. With her other hand, she hiked her dress up and shoved her other hand into her panties, fondling herself as she stabbed the seat viciously over and over again until her climax overtook her.

  Only when she found the desperately-needed release did she relax with a satisfied smile on her face. She wasn’t sure what he’d been ranting and raving about, but she would soon find out.

  Dominick had just made a very dangerous enemy.

  Chapter Twenty

  “Good morning!” Sidra said brightly as she sailed into the studio the next morning. She set her things down and placed a white paper bag on Dominick’s desk. “I was feelin’ bagels this morning, so I got you a bacon and egg on plain. There’s also a V-8 in there as well.”

  “Thanks, Sidra,” he said quietly, watching as she bounced back to her seat and pulled her own sandwich out. “What the hell is that monstrosity called?”

  “Oh, this thing? It’s corned beef with extra corned beef, white cheddar, pickles, and yellow mustard on an everything bagel,” she announced excitedly as she took a huge bite. So goood. Making love with Casey on top of being pregnant made her insanely hungry, and even though it was only eight in the morning, it was her second meal of the day already. In no time, she’d devoured the bagel as Dominick watched in awestruck horror.

  “I can clearly see you’re one of those men who dates women who push food around on their plate then lick the fork as their meal,” Sidra said disparagingly.

  Dominick chuckled as he took another bite of his sandwich and watched her. She looked particularly pretty in a three-quarter-sleeved chartreuse wrap dress. Her knotted head scarf was a paisley print with purple, chartreuse, and navy. Delicate gold jewelry adorned her wrists, neck, and ears, and she complemented the ensemble with purple stilettos that wrapped around her ankles. Something was different about her, though. Sidra always looked like a million bucks, but today even more so. “You look really, really nice today.”

  She beamed with pleasure. “Awww, thank you so much! So, I have something I’d like to discuss with you.”

  “Okay, lay it on me,” Dominick said, bracing himself as a sense of foreboding overcame him. He just knew he wasn’t going to like what she said next.

  Sidra took a deep breath and blurted out, “I’m giving you my two-week notice! I thought it would be best to do this while we’re ahead of schedule.”

  She waited for him to say something, but he didn’t. He just sat there looking so devastated that it hurt her heart just to look at him. “Please say something, Dom. It’s been such an honor to work for you, and I’ve learned so much-”

  “Why are you doing this?” he asked finally, raising his sad eyes to meet hers imploringly. “We’re such a good team. We’re good together, damn it! Is there anything I can do to change your mind??”

  “We do work well together,” she acquiesced. “But I’d like to go in another direction with my career. As I said, I’m so honored to have been able to work with you, but I need to do this for me.”

  Sidra watched as Dominick just sat there staring at his desk. It was only then that she noticed his appearance. He hadn’t shaved, and his normally meticulously-groomed hair appeared unkempt. His clothes were wrinkled as well, and Sidra felt a pang of guilt that she hadn’t even noticed. This was all Casey’s fault, she thought furiously, recalling their conversation this morning.

  “So you’re gonna give him your notice today?” he inquired eagerly as she applied her makeup.

  “Yes, boo. I already told you I would,” she confirmed, rolling her eyes at him in the mirror.

  “Poor Dick,” Casey said mournfully. “He’s gonna be so upset to see you go. I bet it’s gonna tear him up somethin’ awful to not see your face every day, pretty girl.” His unhurried smile was full of glee. “Can I be there to comfort him?”

  “I understand, Sidra.” Dominick’s words broke her reverie. He sighed heavily and shifted despondently in his chair. His expression was sincere as he continued, “I wish you nothing but the best of luck with all your future endeavors. Tell you what, let’s play hooky today. I remember you once asked me why I live here in D.C. instead of L.A., New York, or Miami where it’s easier to hook up with major producers. Do you remember that?”

  “I do! I mean don’t get me wrong, I love D.C., but I think it holds more appeal for me because my man lives here, you know?” Dominick hated the way she smiled that special smile when she spoke of punk-ass lawyer boy.

  “So, come on, and I’ll show you, mama,” he urged. “Don’t mind the humongous third wheel that’s coming with us today.”

  “He was pretty hard to miss in the hallway. What’s up with that?” Sidra grabbed her purse as he held the door open for her.

  “Trust and believe, I wish it wasn’t necessary,” he muttered as she passed him.

  ***

  They drove through the streets of D.C., and he affectionately showed Sidra where he went to elementary, middle and high school. “It was just me and my grandparents, and they worked hard to make sure I had everything even though my mom had dishonored the family.”

  Sidra flinched at the bitterness in his voice. “How did she do that?”

  “Not only did she become pregnant out of wedlock, but she didn’t have a relationship with a Chinese man. So, she was a double disappointment to them. My grandfather could barely stand the sight of me because of this. They were proud people who raised their daughter right, expecting her to uphold the family name, but she didn’t. They were killed, when I was seven, by two masked men that robbed their grocery store.”

  “Oh my goodness, Dom! I’m so sorry for your loss,” Sidra said sympathetically, reaching over to hold his hand tightly. “You lost your whole family??? I can’t imagine what that would be like as an adult, let alone a child.”

  He looked at their hands joined together and thought to himself with relief, finally. “I wasn’t alone for long. A white couple took me in and raised me, but I left when I was eighteen and never looked back.” Dominick looked out the window. “They were only in it for the money anyways.”

  Sidra attempted to pull her hand back, but his grip tightened imperceptibly before he released it. “I’m going to show you something that I’ve never showed anyone, Sidra. I want you to promise that you won’t reveal it to anyone.”

  “Hold up, it’s nothing illegal is it?” Sidra asked suspiciously as they pulled into a gated facility. She looked around at the well-kept grounds and noticed plenty of elderly people around and read the name on the building. Canterbury Hill Nursing Center.

  Dominick gave her a crazy look. “At the nursing home?! Hell no!”

  The SUV pulled up by the front entrance and their doors were opened. The two of them were escorted in where the facility director greeted them personally. The elderly black man said. “Hello, Mr. Harris. We’ve been expecting you, and I must say we’re in a good mood today.”

  “Thank you very much, Mr. Dougan. This is my friend Sidra. Sidra, Mr. Lee Dougan,” Dominick introduced them with a smile, but Mr. Dougan looked worried.

  “Sir, I’m not sure introducing an unfamiliar person is such a great idea,” he said apologetically to Dominick.

  “It’s alright. Thank you,” he said firmly and turned away, guiding Sidra by the elbow. They walked down a long hall before reaching a set of open doors. Inside, there were senior citizens engaging in numerous activities as the staff helped them. Turning to the two bodyguards, Dominick requested they stay back and then motioned for Sidra to follow him quietly. They walked the large room, weaving through the g
roups of people until they reached the corner of the room where a nurse sat next to a small, frail, wheelchair-bound woman with a long white braid who stared out the window with blank eyes. There was an empty chair on her other side.

  Dominick held his hand up to Sidra, silently asking her to wait. Then he slowly sat down in the chair and spoke softly in Chinese to the woman, who never responded. Sidra watched in the glass reflection as her face remained serenely blank. For fifteen minutes, they were like that until Dominick slowly got up and pressed a kiss to her cheek. It was then that Sidra saw the woman’s eyes close serenely and she gave a hint of a smile. Dominick hugged the nurse before motioning for them to go. Silently, they walked back to the SUV and were soon on their way back to his house. Dominick didn’t speak, and Sidra respected his silence. She checked her phone and found she had four missed calls from Casey. As soon as she made sure Dominick was okay, she would call him back.

  “She’s your mother.” It wasn’t a question, and he nodded his head in silent confirmation.

  “Xia Tse, but she was always known as Penny,” Dominick said fondly. “She was born in Richmond, Virginia and is smart as hell. Her parents were incredibly proud of her and the way she excelled at everything she did with a full-ride scholarship to school and on the success train until she met a boy. But he wasn’t just any boy; no, this one was very clever and cunning, charming himself into Penny’s good graces and her bed as she did his homework for him and gave her body to him. He, too, was going places, just not without her. He took what he needed from her until he passed the required classes and then left her devastated and pregnant. Ashamed, she went home to her parents who were angry and heartbroken at her stupidity. They could no longer brag to their friends about her achievements due to the dishonor she’d brought upon them.

  After I was born, she tried to commit suicide by overdosing on sleeping pills. She wasn’t successful but wound up in a coma that she didn’t wake from until I was one. Since then, she’s never been able to speak; at the most, she grunts. But she’s always had the best care in the best facilities, and she’s now starting to suffer from dementia. Today was a really good day, and I make it a point to visit her every day that I’m in town or FaceTime her on her nurse’s iPad. I don’t think I have that much time left with her, so I cherish it.”