The Debt Collector: An Underground Bad Boys Romance Read online

  “Normally you wouldn’t, but you’re working out like an imbecile, which is so unlike you. What’s going on?”

  Ignoring the question, he switched it up and did a series of punches and kicks, the bag swaying hard. Evading it, he attacked again with a few punches.

  Gage sighed on the sideline which made Locke even angrier. What was he doing here? What was he still doing here? He was steady and recovered enough to go back to his apartment and leave him the fuck alone. He normally appreciated his friend’s company, but at the moment, it would be too easy to replace the bag with his face.

  None of the exercises, none of his efforts were calming him down and that both scared and infuriated him more.

  “Did you get to see Luther yesterday?”

  It took a moment for the words to make their way through the storm in his mind. “Yeah. But not long enough. He was busy with some buyers.”

  “Any luck buying girls?”

  Locke clenched his jaw. “No. I saw a few newcomers from afar but didn’t have access. He’s holding them for a possible trade in, from what I could understand.”

  “What about the new arrivals? Any news about that?”

  Locke stopped the punching bag from moving, his lungs burning to the point that he felt nauseous. Too bad it didn’t cool down his anger. “No! You have any more questions? If not, can you leave me the fuck alone?”

  Despite the explosion of fury in his face, his friend didn’t even blink. “What’s happening to you? Ever since last night you’ve been in a foul mood, and that’s putting it mildly. What crawled up your ass and died there?”

  Trying to steady his heartbeat, Locke started to pace up and down his gym, his body restless. Rolling his shoulders, he looked at the punching bag again, as if battering it even more would help. Maybe until he dropped from exhaustion.

  Gage pushed himself up, leaning against the wall in a non-threatening pose, but it didn’t work. Locke wanted him out, now, and didn’t know how long he would be able to hold himself back. In an ultimate attempt to make his friend understand, he got his voice back under control.

  “Listen, just go, okay? Please?”

  Slowly shaking his head, Gage crossed his arms. “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you lose it like that. I’m not leaving you in this state. Not until I know what’s going on. Not with Tessa asleep in the other room.”

  At the mention of her name on his friend’s lips, something wild and menacing circled inside him. “You think I’m going to hurt her?”

  Gage’s expression was cautious, and he avoided answering. “What’s going on, Locke? Answer me.”

  “Can’t you just leave me alone?” He yelled at the top of his lungs now, less than a foot from Gage’s face and he didn’t care. Something had snapped inside him, like it had long ago, and it had scared him to the point that he preferred the safety of controlling himself and his environment. And it had worked well until now. “Get the fuck out of my home. Now!”

  His friend still immobile, shook his head.

  Locke’s muscles bunched to attack when a soft voice came from the hallway, followed by a very feminine body. The doctor’s tumble of rich brown curls were shining and he could smell her perfume, the scent of her skin. She wore a light blue peasant blouse that revealed her shoulders. Clad in a pair of distressed jeans and barefoot, it was like a hit to the solar plexus. There was something about her that affected him on a primal level. And he recognized it as the core of his problem. His trigger.

  “What’s going on in here? Why are you yelling?”

  She crossed her arms, pushing her breasts up, and Locke’s body reacted instinctively, which made him even madder.

  Tessa was about to step inside the gym when Gage grabbed her arm. “Don’t, sweetheart. Locke’s not feeling like himself now.”

  All Locke saw was Gage’s hand on her, his vision hazed red and he launched himself at his friend.

  Logic was out the door and Gage was ready for it, evading a couple of punches, before forcing him to the floor. A seasoned fighter, it was an easy task for him, which made Locke burn to no end. Gage had always been a better fighter, no doubt about it, and against an opponent who had been burning himself up, working out intensively for more than an hour, there wasn’t any real opposition. It took less than two minutes for the cage fighter to have him on his back, using his weight and pressure points to immobilize him on the mat.

  Face to face, unable to move apart from his head, Locke hissed. Undeterred, Gage leaned closer, the ghost of a smile on his lips. “I think I know what’s getting to you. Or whom.”

  “You’re insane.”

  His friend slowly shook his head. “Oh, I don’t think I am.” He lowered his voice, so Tessa wouldn’t be able to hear from the other side of the room.

  “Her. You don’t want me with her. Touching her. Fucking her. I never thought I would see the day you cared for a woman or wanted her only for yourself. And you’re fighting it, fighting that feeling to the point where it eroded your infamous self-control. When you offered to share her with me, you were lying.”

  “You are insane.”

  Gage let go of him and pushed himself to his knees. “Then, prove it to me.” And he removed his t-shirt, a wicked gleam in his eyes as he turned to Tessa, still standing on the threshold, clearly unhappy at being left on the sidelines and not knowing what was going on. Gage turned and headed for the doctor, his intentions clear.

  Locke knew he had to act, still didn’t know what to do with all his feelings, or about the entire situation, in fact. So, he went for what he already knew. What was familiar to him, what would prevent his friend from touching her.

  He grabbed Gage by the neck and crushed his mouth to his. It took a moment for his friend to react, but he finally opened his lips and slid his tongue inside his mouth.

  Locke’s body reacted as usual, but deep down, it wasn’t what he wanted. Not entirely. For the first time since both men had started touching and pleasuring each other, Locke knew that despite being explosive, this sex act wouldn’t be enough. But at that instant, he was determined to take back his control, and Gage was ready to help him with that. Once all the strength, the anger, and the lust were out of his body, he would once more be able to use the doctor to his content, without nasty emotions blurring the lines. He was desperate to be himself again.

  Pulling Gage down over himself, Locke let his hands roam over the hard muscles of his back. His own body, slick with sweat helped to move Gage even higher over him. With only pleasure in mind, he slid his hands inside his boardshorts. He wanted his cock and in their current position, he couldn’t access it. Hooking a leg over his, Locke twisted and switched their positions. Despite the urgency, he straddled Gage’s legs, avoiding his bruises and pulled at his last piece of clothing, freeing his bobbing piece of meat.

  In the back of his mind, he heard Tessa’s gasp, not knowing if it was from disgust or arousal. And to be honest, he couldn’t look. At least now, neither of them were touching her and Locke was fine with that. Not giving him time to move, he slid down and took Gage deep in his mouth, using everything he knew about his sensitive spots to quickly drive him wild. When he traced the veins on his shaft, his breath accelerated. His cock hit the back of his throat, making Gage buck in want. And as he deep throated him, swallowing hard, he knew it would only be minutes before he came.

  Gage had other ideas and took advantage of the moment he was coming back for air to grab him by the arms, so he could pull him upward and tear at Locke’s gym shorts. Grabbing his cock, he pumped him until he was hard as stone. The friction bordered on pain, as it lacked lubricant or at least some saliva, but somehow it grounded him even more. The perfect kind of pain. Bowing back, he pushed his hips against Gage’s hand that gripped him like a vice.

  Now both naked on the rough mat floor, Gage rubbed his bearded chin on his stomach before biting hard into his hip muscle. With a tight hold on his hair, he forced him to let go, but not before he noticed that Gag
e was slightly distracted.

  His eyes took a detour to Tessa who was now sitting just inside the gym, her back against the wall and her jeans at her knees. Her hand was in her panties and moving rhythmically while she looked at them. No, looked at him, and not Gage. It was impossible to sort through everything that went through his head, and instead he decided to surf the dark possession and pride that came from knowing that she was masturbating while looking at him. Only him.

  Locke took control over the situation, tilting Gage’s head to take his lips once more. Gage still stroked him, but it glided better now that he oozed precum. Slowly he pushed his body against his friend’s until Gage was completely lying on the floor under him. Both men breathed hard, bodies glistening with sweat, blood pumping through their veins, but the energy between them was different. It was the first time they’d ever had an audience, and Locke didn’t want a fair exchange of power this time. He wanted to dominate. Gage. Her.

  When he broke their kiss, he knew Gage had sensed the difference too when he frowned slightly but he obviously decided to play along. Sex had always been simple with him, and he rarely said no to him if there was a chance he could get off. Another advantage was that usually both men didn’t care who was on top. It changed and evolved depending on their mood.

  Now that mood was a display of muscled flesh and male dominance, with the increasing fragrance of female arousal filling the room, so much now that it mixed with Gage’s musky scent and made Locke lightheaded.

  “On all fours, now.” Locke barely recognized his own voice that sounded more and more like a snarl. Gage hesitated a second, looking deep into his friend’s eyes and obviously when he saw what he was searching for, decided to obey the command. As he looked at the fighter before him, Locke took himself in hand and pumped his cock several times. He then risked another look at the doctor. Her face was flushed, and her hair a mess of curls. Her hands moved faster as did her breathing, but still she looked at him. Watching him as he was watching her, he spit a couple of times in his palm before coating his cock. Fingers slick, he traced the multiple inks on the wide expanse of Gage’s back, some of them even touched the upper part of his ass. As he made his way slowly down, his friend started to widen his stance. Lock eased one finger into his anus first, moving it around, loosening the tight ring of muscle. With increasing pressure, he finally put two fingers inside.

  Gage balanced himself on one arm and clearly closed a fist around his cock. Locke’s own erection was pulsing restlessly, but he ignored it for now. As his friend relaxed, he increased the pressure and slightly crooked his finger to skim over his prostate, making Gage curse, his shoulders hunching under the sudden sensation he knew too well. That was the advantage of having known each other’s body for such a long time—a simple touch and pressure at strategic places could bring intense pleasure. Locke knew that if he increased pressure on that sensitive spot, Gage would explode in a matter of seconds, but instead, he slowed down and teased for an agonizing moment. When he started to push back against his hand and was dilated enough, Locke knew he was ready. Withdrawing his fingers, he took his hard cock and just as he was about to push himself inside Gage, turned to Tessa.

  There she was, barely moving her hand now, the other squeezing her breast under her blouse, her body had pitched forward, as if she was on the verge, waiting for him, for what he was about to do. He didn’t make her wait, as his own body was begging for release too. He pushed himself, inch after agonizing inch inside Gage, never looking away from the woman with a desperate look on her face. Gage’s head was thrown back as he impaled himself on Locke’s cock, his own hand tight around his shaft. For a brief instant, the three of them were frozen in place, knowing full well that they were on the verge of insanity, without any way back.

  It was the low moan from Gage as he squeezed around his cock that was the tipping point. Locke started ramming into him. In the back of his mind, he knew he should slow down, but his body wasn’t listening anymore. It had found a way to exorcize his anger and his lust and wasn’t willing to slow down in any way, not under he shattered. Him, Gage and the doctor.

  The entire room was now filled with the noises of skin slapping against skin, moans of pleasure, and hisses of pain. Locke’s mind was filled with Gage’s voice ordering him to go faster, harder, and Tessa’s whimpers as well as the slushing sound of her hand between her legs.

  It was like riding a wave determined to drown them at any moment, but the power surge Locke felt, possessing two people with his body and gaze was enough to make him want to be lost too. And gladly so. His hips slapped hard against Gage’s firm buttocks, and when his friend finally yelled his pleasure and tightened so hard against his cock, he thought it would be enough for him to come. It wasn’t. Damn it. Gritting his teeth, it was Tessa who was finally his trigger. Head thrown back, knees drawn up, her mouth opened in a silent scream and her hand looked as if she was clamping it tight against her sex. Spasms jerked her body and it when she opened her eyes again the orgasm swept him away. His shout echoed on the walls, his seed spilling inside Gage. The pleasure crashed as never before, overtaking every cell of his body, blackening the edge of his vision, until he lay on top of Gage.

  The anger had simmered down, but instead of finding a solution, it revealed much more than he wanted to know, and still didn’t give him an easy way out.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  Tessa checked the beef stew simmering on the stove, and after a taste, decided to add a bit more garlic. It was the first time she’d used cooking as a way to get out of her head and would certainly do it again when she returned to work. Although her own pantry was not as stacked as Locke’s.

  It had been years since she’d made one of her grandmother’s recipes and the smell brought back a wealth of memories in a soothing and steadying way. And she needed it.

  Images of what had happened in the gym less than an hour ago popped into her mind again. The men together were a sight to behold. Both of them so different—virile and hungry for each other. Tessa only realized after a while that she was touching herself. Lust had spiked so suddenly that it had taken her by surprise. But it was Locke who caught her attention; the way he possessed Gage, but more how he’d included her in their sex act without touching her, just with his stormy-sea stare. It made her burn even more, brighter.

  When both men collapsed, she’d made a quick but unsteady exit, knowing that she needed to be by herself and cool down.

  Their last meal was long gone, and as she didn’t want to return to her room, she decided to cook and mess up Locke’s pristine kitchen. Damn with his rules. Her brain wasn’t dealing well with having strict rules on one side and breaking all her moral rules on the other. Tessa had always had an open mind, but when the lust died down, it was difficult for her to see herself acting so wanton, with two men.

  Also, before stepping inside the gym, she had heard Locke telling Gage about going to see Luther. And he hadn’t shared that bit of information with her, which was a breach on his promise. Or the deal they had together.

  Ideas whirled in her head, and she was considering a few of them when she saw Locke coming into view. Dressed in a pair of dark jeans and a black t-shirt, he matched the color scheme of his apartment. His dark hair was wet and sleeked back from a shower. He stopped when he saw her in his kitchen.

  “What are you doing?” Mr. Cold was back. The question sounded a lot like an accusation, but as she had a few of her own, it didn’t bother her that much.

  “Playing rugby. The team’s in the fridge if you wanna check.”

  Her attempt at humor fell flat, as she expected. Tessa ignored him and went to the fridge. She had seen some fresh strawberries and intended to make a basic upside-down cake. If she wasn’t mistaken, she had seen some cream somewhere. As she was checking, someone rustled nearby.

  “You don’t need to cook.”

  Again, it wasn’t said with the tone of a host not wanting his guest to take on daily tasks.

  “I
f I want to eat, I need to cook something. And as I have all this time on my hands…”

  She rummaged through the cupboard and found a bowl big enough. The whisk was in one of the utensils drawers, and she found a square baking pan that would perfectly fit what she had in mind.

  Ignoring the man that was now looming over her shoulder, she went to the pantry and grabbed some flour. It was so tempting to spill the contents on the clean floor of his perfect kitchen, but the move to annoy him would have been obvious.

  In less than five minutes, his counter was filled with cooking implements and food, as well as being covered with spills. Getting the cutting board, Tessa started to slice the strawberries. Locke hadn’t moved from his angry stance less than five feet away.

  “Is standing there with a snarl on your face your way of threatening me? Or is it to hide the fact that you went to see Luther without telling me?”

  His silence was telling.

  “I’m wondering what else you haven’t told me about that particular topic, as your latest disappearance is a sure sign you went to see him. Isn’t that a breach of our agreement, Mr. Locke?”

  The man made a move to come closer, but she lifted her dripping knife toward him. “Not another step. I don’t need distractions, I need answers.” A few drops of strawberry juice fell to the floor. Tessa didn’t care, but Locke wasn’t happy about that, but he must have decided that taking care of it wasn’t his priority. So, he stepped back, and she returned to the task at hand.

  “Start talking, Locke. And you'd better not leave anything out.”

  “Or what?” The sarcasm in his voice wasn’t helping his case at all.

  Tessa didn’t look up. If he wanted to play that game, she would play it harder and better. “Or else, this could be my thank you meal before I find another hideout until this whole nightmare is over.”

  The calmer she remained, the more she could sense his energy rising, still he remained wisely out of her knife’s reach.