Black Surrender (A Kelly Black Affair Book 7) Read online

  “Fuck,” Wes grumbled.

  Without thinking, I bent and slid open my desk drawer. Suddenly, my heart stopped. My gun. I’d completely forgotten about it and I hoped that Kendra still had it in her possession.

  Wes was still barking in my ear. “Kelly, did you hear what I said? You need to visit Sylvia. Let her know that she has resources available to her to help her fight her legal troubles. We can’t risk her spreading lies about Maria because she’s still pissed at Nash.”

  Knowing I needed to visit Sylvia regardless of the reasons Wes was ticking off, I told him I was on it.

  “Good.” He relaxed. “Make that happen today. Tonight, I want you and Kendra to join me and Kami for dinner. There is a show at Mint I don’t want you to miss.”

  10

  Kendra

  Dr. Hall had neared her chair when she turned and glanced over her shoulder.

  She must have felt the edge of my heel dig into the carpet, putting on the brakes the moment I stepped inside her office. Listening to the deep hollow thud of my heart rattle inside my chest, I maintained a tight grip on the strap of my purse.

  My lungs squeezed. Beads of sweat formed at the small of my back and threatened to climb their way up my spine. Gathering my eyebrows, I regretted my decision to come here. The thought of spilling my secrets was difficult enough to overcome. Having a stranger analyze those same secrets seemed deadly.

  “It’s okay, Kendra.” The doctor smiled. “I promise I won’t bite.”

  I returned a tight smile of my own. I hadn’t told her my name. There was only one way she knew it.

  Fanning her hand through the air, Dr. Hall pointed to the couch. “Please, have a seat.”

  My eyes naturally moved to where they were directed. Her gestures were friendly—open and inviting—and it was safe to say that I trusted her from the start. I just didn’t trust myself.

  A series of steps later, I lowered myself down onto the dark chocolate colored leather couch. Setting my purse off to the side, I leaned back into a cranberry throw-pillow, allowing myself the pleasure of conducting a quick assessment.

  Dr. Hall had obvious taste. Her choice in neutral earthy tones made me feel like digging my toes into the sand. A sweeping view of the city skyline was matched with smells of a mocha latte that sat on the corner of her small working desk. It was clear she was catching up on paperwork when I’d arrived and, naturally, I wondered about her other clients, if they were like me.

  Dr. Hall sat across from me, crossed one leg over the other, and folded her hands on top her thigh.

  Flicking my eyes to her, I said, “I didn’t mean to interrupt you; that wasn’t my intention.”

  Her right shoulder shrugged and broke quickly.

  “I didn’t have anyone else I could turn to.” My eyes drifted to the snake plant next to her. It was a hardy plant that could survive in diverse climates and I was sure the choice in plant life was no accident.

  “I recognized you from the news.”

  “Dear God.” I rolled my eyes, though not at all surprised.

  “Are you still dating Kelly Black?”

  My elbows tightened against my body. “Is that why you agreed to meet with me?”

  A subtle shake of her head accompanied her words. “It was the look you were giving me.”

  There was a glimmer in her eye that made me believe what she said was true.

  “Relax.” Her eyes rounded my stiff shoulders. “Make yourself comfortable.”

  “I’m not here to discuss my relationship with Kelly.”

  “Okay. Then why are you here?”

  Her natural reaction to flow through our conversation with ease had me feeling a bit anxious. It had me skeptical but I promised myself to trust the process. “My friend suggested I come to you.”

  Her head dipped to one side.

  I dropped my chin. “Alex Grace.”

  A smile pulled her lips up. “She must really care for you.”

  “This isn’t my thing. I’m not exactly sure why I’m here.”

  Uncrossing her leg, she dropped her heeled foot to the floor and brought one elbow to the armrest. “Then let’s begin slow. Get to know each other.”

  Casting my gaze to my trembling hands, my chest heaved through shallow breaths. “There is so much that is wrong with my life, I don’t know where to begin.”

  “Maybe we could begin with you telling me why Alex suggested you come talk to me in the first place?”

  Lifting my eyes to hers, I felt the stone of shame close off my throat. Nodding, I said, “Okay.”

  11

  Kelly

  The hot black coffee slid down my throat as Maxwell drove me across town.

  My fingers tapped on my thigh as I took the time to think about Wes’s concerns. Mint was certainly a loose end that needed to be tied off. But as long as our stories were straight and Sylvia decided to keep her secret to herself, we were in the clear. Even if Madam and Oscar decided to drop the thought on detectives’ ears. It was their word against ours, and we had the upper hand.

  Sliding up the partition, I put a call in to Agent Drake Smith.

  “Mr. Black, what can I assist you with?” Smith answered my call.

  “I need to ask for a favor.”

  “What kind of favor?” His tone was skeptical.

  Watching the world pass me by, I said, “I’d like to see Sylvia Neil if possible.” I heard him thinking on his end of the line. “I’m sure she’s already heard the news, but I would like to thank her myself for doing what she did to help.”

  Smith cleared his throat. “Okay. When can you get here?”

  “Fifteen minutes.”

  “I can give you about the same amount of time with her.”

  “That’s all I need.”

  “Kelly,” the sound of him scrubbing his face ruffled the line, “the judge just denied Madam and Oscar bail. I thought you would like to know.”

  “Thank you.” When I killed the line, I smirked. There wasn’t any reason to worry. Things were moving along just as expected.

  Reaching for my coffee, it didn’t escape me that maybe Giselle had an influence in Smith’s decision to give me the greenlight to meet with Sylvia. He didn’t have to allow it, but he did.

  Soon, I was marching through the front doors of County. It was strange walking the halls knowing Madam and Oscar were hidden somewhere inside. The expectation of crossing paths with Oscar and exchanging a few verbal jabs, testing his ego as we had so many times before, had me tense and ready for the fight that wasn’t going to come. Tugging on my coat jacket, I walked taller as I approached security feeling as if I finally was regaining a firm hand over the situation that had caused so much anguish to so many.

  Greeted by the guard standing watch outside the heavy metal door that locked Sylvia Neil inside the small box of a room, I peered inside the small window. Sylvia Neil sat with her back to me. Her spine rounded and she looked tiny—pathetically wrapped in an orange blaze jump suit.

  The door buzzed open. Sylvia lifted her head and glanced over her shoulder. I moved to her, resting my hand between her shoulders.

  “Hands to yourself, Counselor,” the guard reminded me.

  Glaring at the guard, my eyes softened when lowered back to Sylvia. “How are you doing?”

  She shrugged. “I heard the news.”

  Wetting my lips, I took a seat opposite her. Bringing my elbows to the table, I said, “Thanks to you, the streets of Los Angeles will be safer.”

  Her eyes were dull with the reality of having to face a bleak future. “It won’t last.”

  I stared, choosing to remain optimistic.

  “What about you, Kelly?” Her neck stretched thin. “Were you able to escape without being charged with a crime?”

  “To be determined.” I flashed a sideways grin. “Though isn’t it like that for us of all?”

  Sylvia looked around the room. The blank walls offered little inspiration. “I suppose there will be a day I wake up,
having gotten used to my new gray view.”

  Bringing my hands to my lap, I said, “I wish you could have told me about the DEA sooner.”

  She reached up to touch her tangled hair. “Me, too. Though as much as I wished I could, my plea deal prohibited me from speaking out.”

  Nodding, I kept my eyes locked with hers.

  After a moment of silence, Sylvia asked, “How is Kendra? Did she make it out okay?”

  Lowering my gaze, I swallowed my tongue. “Yeah, she’ll be okay, I think.”

  “Tell her I’m sorry.” Her brow furrowed into tightly corrugated rows. “Stealing her money was the only way I knew I could get Madam arrested.”

  “We’ll get Madam convicted with the same evidence.”

  Sylvia pulled her hand away from her face and looked left. “If I would have known what would have come of it—”

  “In hindsight, it’s always easier to know what you did wrong,” I said, thinking how we all learned what Madam was capable of. It was a tough lesson to learn, and hopefully we could use it to make sure no one else would be hurt in the future.

  Sylvia tilted her head to the side, her gaze softening. “You really like her, don’t you?”

  Feeling my heart swell with love, I said, “Kendra made a deal. She’ll serve probation in exchange for testifying.” Leaning forward, I asked, “What about you? Do you have a good attorney?”

  “Don’t worry about me. I’ve already accepted my fate.”

  “And what is that?”

  “I’ll serve time for killing Maria.” She bit her cheek and looked around the room again. “But I’m okay with it Kelly. It should have never come this far. Madam took my jealousy and fanned the flame until it couldn’t be put out. I should have recognized that. But I didn’t. And I’m okay with it because somebody needs to make sure Mario didn’t die in vain.”

  Glancing over her shoulder, I lowered my voice to a whisper and said, “I need to ask, because Madam and Oscar will reveal where Maria was originally killed—”

  Stopping me mid-sentence, Sylvia said, “Don’t worry, Counselor, I already gave my statement that the incident took place at Echo, knowing that’s where she was found.”

  Leaning back in my chair, I gave her a small nod of appreciation.

  Grinning, she said, “It’s not what happens that matters. It’s how the story is told.”

  Pulling in a deep breath, my chin raised to the ceiling.

  “Isn’t that what you always said?”

  I nodded. “That sounds familiar.”

  “When I heard that the first time, I took that same advice with me to work every day.” She smiled as if reliving her days as an investigative journalist. “It was also the advice I heard the day I decided to give myself up.”

  12

  Kendra

  Our session ended before it even had a chance to get started.

  I stood and stared at the part splitting the head of the dark-haired receptionist. The fifteen minutes weren’t enough time. Not even close. I was just getting geared up to start telling my story when the bell rang.

  “Dr. Hall has put you on her priority list.” The woman turned her head away from the bright light of her computer screen and glanced up to me.

  Her roots were natural as ink. I blankly stared, reflecting on my own appearance. “I’m sorry, what does that mean?”

  Her burgundy lips smiled. “That you’re invited to come back tomorrow.”

  My head bobbed like a buoy. “That would be great,” I said, despite my doubt I would get anything out of it other than an expensive bill.

  “Fantastic.” She cheered. “We’ll see you tomorrow then.”

  Exiting the building I pulled my sunglasses over my eyes, shielding me from the bright light of the world. My hair draped over my shoulders as I bounced my gaze around. Hurrying back to Kelly’s car, a door from a nearby car opened and rattled my insides. Gasping, I shook off my feelings of paranoia and continued on my way.

  Hitting the key fob, the car doors unlocked and I fell into the car like a stone. I wasn’t sure if it was what was said or what wasn’t said that had my nerves standing on end. Or, perhaps, it was only yesterday’s events finally catching up with me. Whatever the case, it felt like I was being watched.

  Checking my mirrors, I glanced over the hood.

  Nothing was out of the ordinary. But I was afraid that someone would discover my weakness and think less of me for seeking help from a doctor. I hadn’t been referred by a professional and didn’t consider myself ill. However, I also knew that I wasn’t strong enough to take care of myself, either.

  Kelly’s car was sparkling clean. Much cleaner than if it were my own. But I couldn’t tell Dr. Hall that. Besides, what the hell did it matter to her if my car was clean or not?

  I tossed my head back. It bounced off the head rest as I groaned.

  I should have just answered her question. Instead, I found my tongue had tied and I couldn’t form the words to come out and speak about my triggers.

  What about your house; is it in order?

  Shaking my head, there was nothing I could say to her that was worth saying in less than fifteen minutes. I needed days, weeks, probably even months to fully detail the stories I had to tell. My life was fucked up. Why couldn’t she just understand that?

  I reached for my phone and dialed Alex. “Can you break away?” I asked as soon as she answered.

  “Are you in a car?”

  “What’s it matter? Can you do it or not?”

  “What the hell happened to you? I’m listening to the news and while I’m hearing all sorts of crazy things being said, I’m asking myself why the hell isn’t Kendra giving me a call?”

  “I’m calling now.”

  “From a car?”

  “From a car.” I pressed my fist to my mouth.

  “Did Kelly give you the car?”

  “I’m going to the spa to get cleaned up. You coming with me or not?”

  “Kelly must not know how awful of a driver you are.”

  Thinking about me stalling several times in front of him this morning, he knew.

  “Let’s hope it’s an automatic,” Alex said.

  “Should I pick you up or what?”

  “Dear Lord, it’s a stick shift, isn’t it?”

  I rolled my eyes. “Never mind. I’ll go alone.”

  “You’re not going to get off that easy. I’ll meet you there.”

  The drive to the spa was uneventful. Alex beat me there, and I was happy to not have to wait. “The Audi? He let you drive his Audi?” she said as I marched up to her, swinging her purse around her arm at the entrance.

  I reached for the door and swung it open. “What can I say? He loves me.”

  At reception, I squared up our appointment. The women were already waiting by the time we were disrobed and laying on our backs in the private room hidden in a far corner of the building. Deliberately hiding my bruises from Alex, I bent my legs at the knees and dropped them apart. Closing my eyes, I settled into the pleasurable pain of being coated with hot wax.

  My nipples hardened and my lips parted.

  It was a welcome relief to find myself being taken away to the place I begged Kelly to lead me to last night. Finding comfort in pain shouldn’t have been as good as it was. But with each steaming dab, I only craved more.

  Suddenly, Alex yelped.

  My eyes flew open.

  The first strip of wax had been yanked from her pussy lips. She rolled her head to me and said, “Now I wish you would have asked me to train with Mike Ricci at the gym instead.”

  Lifting my head, I glanced at the strip of hair that was pulled from her body. “Nash will thank you for it.”

  “He would have appreciated me toning up, too. Besides, is this even worth it?”

  My eyelids fluttered closed as the corners of my lips curled. The next strip had brought me back to living in the moment. A pleasurable reminder of what was to come rolled beneath my skin as waves of heat cras
hed over my entire body like waves from the Pacific. “Yes.”

  “Listen to yourself.” Alex mocked me. “It sounds like you’re orgasming over there.”

  “Maybe I am.” I took my bottom lip between my teeth and moaned.

  Alex cringed as the woman rid her body of excess hair. “Men don’t even understand the effort we put in to making their lives better. I mean, look at us. Stripped and left bare like a teenager. We suck cock and have them shoot their sperm all over our bodies afterward, and for what?”

  I gave her an arched look.

  “How much longer do I have to pretend I actually like this stuff?”

  “Until he puts a ring on it,” I said with a smile.

  The aesthetician snickered.

  Reaching between my legs, I touched the heat radiating off the red, smooth skin. It was soft, pillowy, and I couldn’t wait to have Kelly’s lips wrapped around it. I’d suck cock for just the hint of having another mind-blowing orgasm.

  The women packed up their work and left the room. I rolled off the bed and hovered over Alex. Her eyes immediately saw the story I wanted to tell her before, but couldn’t.

  “Kendra. Oh my god.” Her hand covered her mouth as she gasped.

  I pointed to my crotch with both my index fingers. “You do these things because you don’t know when it will all come crashing down.”

  Alex’s eyes watered, feeling sorry for me. “Tell me what happened.”

  “You don’t want to know.”

  Taking my hand, she said, “But I do.”

  Feeling my eyes narrow, I said, “Kelly is all I have left.”

  “You have your family.”

  “They’re coming after my inheritance. Remember?”

  She frowned.

  “I thought maybe I could leave here feeling more like the woman I used to be before Madam tore my confidence to shreds.” I turned my head and stretched my neck, suddenly feeling tight in my own skin. Secretly, I hoped this would take me one step closer to getting Kelly to satisfy my needs. After my visit with Dr. Hall, I was seriously doubting the therapist route.