(( Author's Note: Wow I'm on a writing roll! haha I hope ya'll enjoy this one, it gets a bit steamy at the end, just a heads up for those of you who may not be into that stuff.))
The small, dinky jeep bumped along the badly paved road. Ace could barely hold his lunch of yam and sweet potato that the doctor had so kindly provided for them, down. Ace stared at the back of Dr. Diego’s rounded head trying to send him a telepathic message to please drive the fuck better or else he’d go absolutely crazy. But he knew he owed a lot to this doctor.
After Justin, Trixie, and him had finally reached Diego’s large cabin in the middle of those dreaded never-ending woods to discover that Skye, Elvis, one of his body guards, and some lady had left just a few days prior, Diego had kindly fed them and offered to drive them to Elvis. They had graciously accepted, but Diego had not told them that the ride would be a six-hour journey through Cuba’s countryside on the worse paved highways ever.
Ace turned his face and stared at Trixie’s sleeping head resting against his shoulder. There were stress lines creasing in her forehead like she was still deep in thought even though she was asleep. Weren’t people supposed to look peaceful when they were sleeping? Ace looked away quickly, it was him who did this to her. Ace knew Trixie was worrying endlessly about Jared who was probably awake in the boat with a giant purple bruise on his head, trying to figure out what the fuck happened. If he was smart he would’ve told the captains to turn around and sail back to Florida. If he was even smarter he would forget that Ace ever existed.
But somewhere deep in Ace’s mind he had a feeling Jared would still be waiting for him. Maybe if not for him, for Trixie. They were meant to be together. He had to wait for her.
Things were already going so not according to the plan, that Ace was afraid for Trixie’s safety. Ace and Justin had planned to sneak inside the cabin, rescue Skye, and then leave without alerting anyone. It would be damn well near impossible if Skye was dancing in Elvis’ new club.
Ace almost laughed at the irony. It was like they were right back where they started in Chicago. A rich, brainless boy who was in love with a dancer whom he could never have no matter how much he wanted her. Ace was way in over his head and he knew it. But he also knew, he would die fighting for Skye.
Diego saw Ace’s eyes open and staring out of the window at the dense vegetation.
“You know, Senor. The lady with him, she looked like you,” he said nodding, like he was agreeing with himself.
“Cool,” Ace said absentmindedly. It was always great to be compared to one of Elvis’ many sluts.
Diego didn’t say anything for a while after that. They drove in silence for about thirty minutes before Ace decided to break it.
“The young dark-haired girl. How was she when she was staying with you?”
Diego was staring at Ace’s eyes intently, but when he asked this, Diego purposely looked away.
“She was very sad and it took her time before started talking to people again. But this is only to be expected from any woman who has lost a baby.”
Ace nearly choked on the air he had inhaled.
“Baby? What do you mean baby?”
Realization hit Diego and he avoided looking at Ace.
“I thought you knew, I thought you were the baby’s father that was why you were looking for her. I’m sorry Senor, I can’t tell you anymore. Doctor-patient confidentiality.”
Ace gripped onto the white, linty upholstery of the seat for support. He felt so many emotions at once. Anger, rage, regret, and sadness all at once before he landed on guilt. He should’ve been there for her, holding her hand. Thoughts swirled around aimlessly in his head. Ace rolled down the window, stuck his head outside the moving car, and threw up everything that was in his stomach.
His blood ran cold and he felt like he had just swallowed a weight, but still he had to know more.
“Please, Diego. I very well may have been the father. How old was the baby?” he asked desperately.
Diego looked at the anxiety stuck in Ace’s turquoise eyes and knew that he had to break the code.
“She was almost two months pregnant when she lost the baby,” he said in his heavy Cuban accent.
Ace calculated in his head, he really could be the father. And it wasn’t like they had used a condom that time. He actually hadn’t even thought of it, and he was pretty good at remembering that kind of stuff.
Of course Ace knew why it would be so easy to forget. Everything about Skye was perfect. Every inch of her beautiful tanned body, from the tips of her long, dark wavy hair to her round, just the right size breasts looked like it has been sculpted by Michelangelo himself.
“I can’t believe it,” Ace finally spat out.
Diego looked at him with an expression of pity in his large brown eyes.
“Can’t believe what?” Trixie asked, yawning. She stretched her long arms till they hit the ceiling of the jeep. She straightened out the cricks in her neck and said, “That was the most uncomfortable sleep in my life. So what were you saying?”
Ace stared out of the window so he wouldn’t have to look at one of his best friends in the eyes when he said,
“I think Skye miscarried my baby. I mean I know she miscarried a baby, Diego told me. But I think it might’ve been mine,” he said bluntly. It felt so weird just saying it like it was a common known fact.
“To miscarry your baby, she would have to be pregnant with your baby..” Trixie said slowly. Denial was written all across her pretty face.
She stared at Ace with the look of true, absolute horror as she realized the depth of what she had just said.
Tears filled her golden eyes and Ace had to look away again so he himself, wouldn’t break down. But it was too late, he felt water well in his eyes.
“You got her pregnant?” she asked in a tear-strained voice.
“Its okay,” she began, wiping away the tears that fell onto her porcelain skin. She moved her hand over Ace’s back and gave him a side hug. Ace stared into his lap, tears fell freely onto his light blue faded jeans, causing dark blue polka dotted marks all over his thighs.
“You did what?!” shouted Justin.
A look of absolute hatred was set in Justin’s penetrating eyes. He looked like he could tear Ace’s head off and be totally fine with that.
“You disgusting piece of shit,” he spat angrily.
Trixie turned around so she was facing Justin.
“Whoa, calm down,” she began, with a bright pink face.
“I told you to fucking leave her alone, why the hell would you go and fuck her?!” he asked, enraged.
A sudden wave of realization struck Ace and he was all of a sudden just as mad as Justin.
“You’re just jealous that she wanted me and didn’t want you!” he shouted back over Trixie’s head.
“Ace..” warned Trixie, trying to catch his eye.
But Ace didn’t even notice Trixie right now. The only thing he felt was this overwhelming urge to punch Justin in his annoying fucking face.
“Hah, don’t go even for a second thinking that she wanted you just because she fucked you. You are nothing special, she fucks plenty of people. In fact, you better get yourself checked for STDs,” he said bitterly.
“Don’t you fucking talk about her like that,” he shouted at Justin before jumping over Trixie to get to Justin.
“STOP!” shrieked Trixie, desperately trying to push the boys apart and not get hit by their flying fists at the same time.
Diego pounded on the brakes, sending both boys flying to the seats in front of them. They hit the cushioned seats with a thud. Trixie looked up and saw that Diego had stopped in the middle of a deserted highway. She looked at him curiously, but all he said was,
“No, if you want to fight then you get out and I’ll leave without you,” with a look of determination written across his features.
Ace looked at Justin. They stared at each other for a moment before turning away from one another.
“We’re fine. It won’t even matter when we get there anyway,” Justin said the last part quietly but Ace still heard it. He wanted to ask Justin what he meant, but decided not to because he still sort of wanted to kick him in the face for talking about Skye like that.
Diego drove the jeep in silence for a few hours all the while regretting trying to start a conversation with Ace.
Ace stared outside, lost in thought about the baby. He wondered whether it was a girl or a boy and if it was even his, but mostly he wondered about Skye and how she was handling this.
They hadn’t talked much before, but Ace knew Skye. He knew that she was at a very fragile point when he met her and he just hoped she was staying strong.
Something inside him told him that she was. She was a strong person, if anyone could get through something like that it would be her.
“We’re here,” Diego said carefully.
Ace looked up to see where “here” was. He found himself looking at a giant castle-like mansion surrounded by similar large houses. They were in a neighborhood.
“Um, doctor, are you sure this is the place?” Ace asked.
“This is the address he gave me. I’m sorry but I can’t help you any more than this,” he said sadly.
Ace looked at him and lay a heavy hand on his shoulder.
“Thank you so much Diego.”
Diego just nodded and said, “Goodbye, amigo.”
Ace, Justin, and Trixie all filed out of the car wordlessly. They stood on the sidewalk and stared at the large mansion about a hundred yards in front of them. Purple and blue lights flashed out from all the large elegant windows and electronic classical music could clearly be heard even from where they stood. It looked so eerie in the darkness. Ace realized this club wasn’t discrete at all like the one in Chicago.
In fact, it was like they were trying to attract even more attention to themselves. Maybe it wouldn’t be that hard to get in.
He squinted through the darkness to see if there were any guards standing around the house. It took a while for Ace’s eyes to adjust to the reflection of the flashing lights, but when he did, Ace wasn’t surprised when he saw several large men in dark tuxedos circling the estate.
Ace turned around with a defeated expression marring his handsome features.
“There are about a dozen more guards over here than in Secret, I don’t know how we’re going to get in,” he said to Justin and Trixie.
All the hope he had suddenly seemed to drain away from him. It wasn’t fair that they would make it this far and wouldn’t even be able to get inside the mansion without getting killed.
Justin stared at the mansion for a few minutes before turning around.
“They have a few blind spots and if we are really careful, I think we can make it into the club, but once we’re in, Elvis will know. We’re going to stick out,” he said.
Trixie cleared her throat and said, “I have an idea.”
Ace had completely even forgotten that she was there. She had been so quiet.
“Enlighten us,” Justin said obviously already writing off Trixie’s idea.
“We’ll wear disguises and just walk in through the front door,” she shrugged like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
Justin began to laugh, but then stopped short as he realized the ingeniousness of her idea.
“But where would we get them?” Ace asked, suddenly feeling a sprout of hope.
Trixie crossed her petite arms and looked scanned the neighborhood. Her eyes landed on a group of twenty-something year olds talking and laughing as they made their way to the mansion. Ace saw that there were three of them. Two men and one woman all dressed in designer evening wear. Perfect, Ace thought.
He glanced at Justin. Justin almost smiled and reached into his pocket. Ace grinned to himself and reached into his own, pulling out his small pistol.
Ten minutes later Ace, Justin, and Trixie walked arm in arm to the mansion. Ace’s suit surprisingly fit just right, although Justin’s was a little bit too small for him. It reminded Ace of when he really was just a nerd Ace despised in St. Marks, not Ryan, the rogue police correspondent.
“Are you ready?” Justin asked, looking suspiciously at Ace. He probably caught Ace staring at him remembering old times and thought he was chickening out.
“Yeah, sorry,” he replied.
“Put this on,” he grunted handing both Trixie and Ace small black masks.
“I saw everyone wearing this and I guess that’s the dress code,” he shrugged, putting on his own adhesive mask. Ace looked at Trixie and Justin and thought that they looked like a group of heroes, it was sort of funny.
“Now act like you’re going to have the time of your life,” he hissed to both Trixie and Ace.
Trixie nodded and began laughing like Ace had told her a hilarious joke. Ace closed his eyes and remembered how he acted with his friends and girlfriends before all of this happened. He felt the carefree attitude he had so long forgotten return to him and he assumed the role of his old self.
Ace wrapped his arm around Trixie’s waist nonchalantly and walked with ease all the way up to the mansion.
“Buenas tardes señores y señora,” one of the guards said in a deep voice. He loomed over them and was probably a foot taller than Justin, which was substantial in itself.
“Hola,” Trixie said in her flirty-I-always-get-what-I-want voice.
The guard winked at her and moved to the side revealing a panel of two large wooden doors. He rested one hand on the gleaming dragon doorknob.
“¿Está usted listo?” he asked, all the while completely violating Trixie’s cleavage with his dirty eyes.
Trixie dreamily dragged one gloved finger over the length of her collarbone like she was so lost in thought.
“Si,” she said sweetly, making sure the guard caught the glint in her eye.
Ace knew if they got out of this alive, he owed her his life.
The guard smiled and pushed the lever down on the doorknob and opened the large doors.
The bright colored lights flashed in front of them. Ace’s eyes took a moment to adjust. When they did, his eyes immediately fell on the women. They were dressed in dark lingerie that left almost nothing to the imagination. But the dark, flashing lights reflecting off their glittery skins made them look like something out of a wild dream. They were nymphs, dark angels. The music was so loud and Ace fought not to lose sight of Justin and Trixie. Trixie shouted something and grabbed onto Justin. Ace could not hear her at all and the lights made it impossible to read her lips. He shouted, “What are you saying?!” but he couldn’t even hear his own voice.
The electric violin pierced his ears and the lights were killing him. It was too much. It was a sensory overload. Trixie shouted something in his ear that sounded like, “Find Skye!” and with that, Justin and she disappeared into the large living room.
Ace clutched his head and looked around aimlessly.
Before Ace had a chance to move, a tall, dark skinned girl in a black and pink bra and matching underwear slid her arm on Ace’s. Wordlessly, she clutched his hand and led him to a small booth in the corner of the living room. Ace nearly collided with half a dozen men dressed similarly to him.
She sat down and pulled him down next to her. Her thin, long fingers grazed the back of his neck. Ace moved away from her, but she did not get the message. She followed him down the length of the booth and nearly tackled him. The girl smiled, thinking this was a game. She ran her long tongue over his earlobe.
“Sorry, I can’t,” he began, standing up. Just as the soles of his black leather shoes hit the marble floor, the music was lowered. Ace’s ears were ringing, as the spotlight shown on the large stage Ace hadn’t even noticed before.
A microphone screeched and the announcer cleared his throat. Ace almost lost it as he saw Elvis walk up the small steps and into the spotlight. His shiny blue suit flashed more than those horrible lights.
“Good evening, gentlemen, and welcome to Besame” he began in his all too familiar drawl.
The audience clapped and hooted with pleasure.
“I do hope your enjoying your lovely ladies! Just a reminder, there are rooms all throughout the house where you can have some privacy when you need it,” he said with a knowing look in his dark grey eyes.
“Now, my dear friends. I’d like to welcome our premiere dancer here at Besame. Put your hands together for..”
Ace closed his eyes and felt his heart wildly beating with anticipation.
“Skye Blue,” Elvis finished, staring straight at Ace.
It was like his eyes were shooting daggers. He felt the stare straight to his bones. Elvis couldn’t know he was here could he? Ace thought. But before he had time to worry even more, a slow, soft eerie sort of music began playing and the woman of his dreams stepped onto the stage.
The spotlight followed her all the way to the middle of the large, empty stage. She wore a transparent white tutu and nothing underneath.
Ace struggled to breathe.
Every hellish tattoo on her skin, every curve of her body, was visible before him.
She had a sparkling white mask on, but Ace could see her sad, brown eyes from where he stood.
Her long, wavy hair flew freely down her back and across her shoulders. She was even more beautiful than Ace remembered. She looked just like a fairy.
Ace felt that exact feeling he felt the first time he saw her. That feeling of jumping on stage and kissing every inch of her soft, caramel skin. That feeling of wanting to run his hands all over her perfect legs. It was like déjà vu.
Ace’s heart nearly imploded as Skye lifted her arms and the crowd fell silent. The electric violin picked up and Skye stood on her toes. She closed her shining eyes and began twirling. Her tutu whispered across her tan legs every time she moved. She spun faster every time the violin picked up. She spun four times, five times, no.. six times. She did the best pirouette Ace had ever seen.
The men in the audience noticed it to. They cheered and whistled as Skye went into her next move. Elvis came out for this one, dressed in the same sequined deep blue suit he was wearing earlier.
He caught Skye as she jumped into his arms. Then he threw her into the air and caught her just before she hit the ground. The crowd clapped, obviously pleased.
With his hands firmly on her waist, he held her up like some sort of trophy. Then all of a sudden, the slow, beautiful music switched to a pounding bass.
Skye ripped off her tutu and threw it into the crowd, leaving her in only her tight, see-through leotard. Ace ran to catch it before he could stop himself. The men stared at him with envy in his eyes as Skye winked at him, unbeknownst that it was really Ace underneath the mask.
Skye turned around and walked slowly and seductively to the middle of the stage. Elvis walked to the side and disappeared from Ace’s vision.
Skye held her ass out and dropped just as the bass dropped. The crowd roared with applause as she quickly separated her legs to give them a quick peak.
Ace felt his pants tighten.
She rose to her feet and with her back to the stage; she slid her arm up the length of her torso as she swayed slowly to the music.
Then Skye turned around and with one quick wink to the applauding men, she ran off stage.
Ace clutched onto the rough material of the tutu in between his hands. He held it up to his nose to smell her wild scent, but he only smelt those pungent Cuban cigars. Ace scowled.
Elvis came back on stage and started announcing the next girl, but Ace was searching for Skye. His eyes scanned the dark room, but he couldn’t even find Trixie and Justin anymore. A cold sweat broke out on his back, but Ace figured they would be fine since Justin was better equipped at handling these things. He shook his head, he was silly for even thinking about it.
Ace stood with his back against the hard, textured walls waiting for Skye to walk in. Every passing second felt like an hour. He knew if he stood there for too long something bad was bound to happen. Elvis would probably discover him and shoot him right there on the spot.
“She’s here!” shouted a man on Ace’s left.
The man pushed the tall, French woman who was sitting on his lap away and ran to the side of the club. Soon, almost all the men in the club were shouting and following that man. Ace could not see anything from his vantage point so he grabbed a chair and stood on it. Ace scanned the crowd for any discrepancies and his heart almost gave out when he saw Skye walk in the room in nothing but a pair of sheer black underwear. He immediately jumped from his chair and ran as fast as he could to the front of the crowd. He used his elbows to carve a way through the crowd. Finally, he broke free from the men and he was standing face to face with Skye. She smiled at the men handing out hundreds of dollars to her. With the wave of her hand, all the men silenced.
“I’ll choose who I take with me tonight,” she said with a slight tone of amusement.
She scanned the men starting from her left. She reached out her hand to choose the first man who shouted that she was here. Ace could not take it anymore.
“Skye,” he said huskily.
Skye whipped her head around to face the source of this noise. They were no more than a few inches apart. Ace could lean in and kiss her right now, and he wanted to so badly.
Her dark brown eyes met his and for a second neither of them said a word. Recognition swept her features and Ace was ecstatic. Did she know it was him?
But then, her eyes returned to their neutral, seductress look she was so good at and she said, “Okay, you, pretty boy.”
It took Ace a moment to register that her hand was on his tie. She grabbed it and pulled him through the maze of tables. The men behind them shouted in disappointment and Ace couldn’t help but smile.
Ace’s eyes lingered on Skye’s hips that swayed to the bass pumping from the club’s stereos. The blue lace on her panties looked so sexy against her bare caramel colored skin.
Skye led him through a long corridor hidden by two dark red curtains. Ace rejoiced. There weren’t any flashing lights blinding him.
They stopped at the end of the corridor in front of an ominous looking black door. She turned around and smiled at him. The bass was pounding so hard, it felt like it was going in sync with his heartbeat.
There was a sparkle in her eyes and Ace almost kissed her right there.
She twisted the metal doorknob and pulled him into the small bedroom.
Ace stared in silence at the giant four-poster bed, remembering the last time they were in the same bed together.
The click of the door had awoken Ace. Skye smirked at him. He stared at her lustfully. She walked passed him to the bar on the side of the bedroom.
“Can I get you anything to drink?” she asked sweetly.
Ace wondered if he should speak to her. He didn’t think she knew who he was, but if he talked to her, she would know for sure. Ace decided he’d see how long it would take her to notice it was him.
So, he lowered his voice an octave and said, “Water, is just fine.”
She stared at him for a while and shook her head, laughing.
“Sure, I’m sorry you just remind me of someone I used to know.”
So she really didn’t know it was him. At least she remembered him, Ace thought to himself.
She handed him the glass of water and sat on the giant four-poster bed. Ace walked to the other side of the room, leaned against the gold wallpapered walls, and drank his water in silence. But his eyes didn’t leave Skye for a second.
Skye felt her skin squirming uncomfortably. Why did his stare make her feel so uncomfortable? Like he was seeing right through her. She shook her head, she’d have to be brave for this. She knew that much.
Ace let down his empty cup on the dresser. The sight of her in nothing but her underwear was too much.
“What’s your name?” she asked as she stood up.
She walked across the room so she was standing right in front of Ace.
“Zeus,” he lied.
“Really?” she questioned, with a suspicious glint in her eye.
She grinned, revealing a set of perfect white teeth. Ace didn’t respond. He didn’t trust himself to say anything else.
“Are you nervous?” she asked, getting so close to him he could smell her familiar sent of vanilla and lavender.
Ace leaned in like he was going to kiss her, but instead he whispered in her ear,
“Are you?”
His hot breath tickled her ear and sent goose bumps all throughout her body.
He wrapped his arms around her slender waist and ran his hands over her bare back, stopping right above her ass.
Skye put her hands on his well-formed chest and began undoing his tie. She pulled it off with ease, and started unbuttoning his light blue dress shirt.
Her abdomen brushed against the hardness growing in his pants.
Ace leaned into her, feeling her breasts resting against his sculpted torso, and started placing deep, passionate kisses all over her arched neck. Skye caught herself smiling.
What was wrong with her? Skye couldn’t believe it. She was enjoying this. She really shouldn’t be, but she couldn’t ignore how good he made her feel.
Ace stopped kissing her neck and looked into her soft, brown eyes. There was that spark, that undeniable shock of electricity. Skye only felt that way with one person, this was impossible.
His hands hovered over the sides of her face and before she had a chance to protest, he peeled off her mask.
“You’re beautiful,” he breathed, staring at her naked face.
Skye couldn’t help but blush. She smiled and lifted her hands to reveal his face too, but he caught her hands before she could.
She wasn’t getting off that easy.
He grabbed the sides of her head and brought her to him. In one quick movement, his moist lips were on hers. Ace could feel her soft lips curving into a smile against his. He pulled her closer to him, deepening the kiss. Skye’s hands found their way under his shirt and onto his toned abs.
He let go of her head with one hand and found his way up her back and underneath the soft fabric of her bra. In one swift motion, he unclipped it and slid it down her shoulders.
Ace smiled and cupped her breast. He felt her nipples hardened underneath his rough hand and this excited him even more. Skye felt like her skin was on fire.
Ace bit her lip, asking for access, which she happily granted. Their tongues moved in sync, like they’d been doing this for years and Skye realized she knew this man.
She pulled back. And with her eyes full of tears she said, “Ace?”