Trapped Read online

  So, by the time he finally thrusted inside of me, I was already on fire. He filled me up, slowly, inch by inch, and I screamed in pleasure. He pulled on my hair, and kissed my breasts while he slowly but surely thrust in and out. I turned my head, and he kissed my neck and nibbled on my ear. I put my hands over my head, and he gripped them behind me.

  My breathing and heartbeat were so fast during this time that I started to feel just a little bit light-headed. I finally inhaled a sharp breath, and scratched my nails into his back. I turned him over on his back, and started to ride him hard. I ducked my head, and kissed him eagerly. He then turned me around, and entered me from behind. I groaned as I came to orgasm, one so powerful that it felt like the earth was opening up. I felt his hot cum squirt inside of me, and I let out an enormous breath.

  He remained behind me, his hand on one of my breasts. He kissed the back of my neck gently. “Mmmm, Dalilah. That was amazing. As usual.”

  “Oh, it certainly was,” I said, feeling my legs trembling as he ran his hands on them. “It always is, though.”

  “I feel so connected to you now. Like there isn’t anything between us. There’s nothing that we can’t do, as long as we do it together.” He kissed me gently on my mouth, and I groaned.

  I flipped him over on his back again. “You might as well know, now that I’m pregnant, I’m going to probably wear you out. Maybe I should try to have you cloned so that I can fuck you all the time.”

  Luke just laughed. “No need for there to be a clone. I think that I can handle you all on my own.”

  “You think?” I asked, as I took his flaccid penis in my hand, and tugged on it. It started to grow, and I sat down on top of him again. I put my hand on his shoulders, and rode him until his hot cum squirted inside of me again.

  Luke was breathing hard. “Yes, I think,” he said, kissing me.

  “You like a challenge, do you?” I asked.

  “Love a challenge.”

  I smiled. I wondered if he really knew what he was getting into. But, as he started kissing me, and stroking my thigh, before thrusting into me again, I knew that he would be up for the challenge.

  We finally got some sleep, and, when I woke up the next day, I stretched and looked out the window. It was another sunny, peaceful day. A bird landed on the terrace, and I felt just a little bit charmed by the little creature. I started to feel sad that we would be leaving this bucolic setting. I wasn’t even quite sure where we would land when we got back to New York City. I knew that we couldn’t live with my parents or with Nick, as they both lived in the suburbs. I, for one, wanted to be in the city. I wanted to be close to the action, and, hopefully, close to where Luke’s new artists’ co-op was. I also thought that I should be close by where my new lawyer was, as well as the courthouses.

  The problem was that my apartment was sub-leased, and Luke had moved out of his. This was the arrangement that we both made when we came out to London. I hated to kick out the girl who was subletting my place, but I knew that I could, as I never actually made a binding contract with her. Still, it was in the middle of the month, so I couldn’t just land in New York and tell her to get out. That wouldn’t be right.

  That was the last piece of the puzzle, really. I wanted to leave as soon as possible. I wanted to get after it. Luke did, too. Not that Liam wasn’t helpful and welcoming, because he certainly was. His house was gorgeous, and this bed was completely comfortable. I loved the terrace and I adored all the nature that surrounded his place.

  But it was time to leave.

  I knew that there was one place where Luke and I could go. And I was more than prepared for his objections.

  “Luke,” I said. “We have to make plans to leave. We’ve talked about everything but where we’re going to stay when we get back. I don’t think that I can just kick out my sub-lessor in the middle of the month. You don’t have your apartment any more. We can’t stay with my parents, because they live several hours a way. Nick is out in Connecticut.” I took a deep breath. “But Serena lives in the Village. She has a large, beautiful brownstone there. Three bedrooms, hardwood floors, crown moldings. It’s in a pre-war building.” I felt like a real estate agent as I described the rest of her place.

  “How do you know so much about Serena’s place?” Luke asked me. I felt a little bit encouraged that he didn’t automatically say “no,” but, rather, led off with something more neutral.

  I shrugged. “She showed me pictures when I had dinner with her. I asked her about her place, because I was curious. Anyhow, it looks pretty awesome inside. She said that it’s in an upscale neighborhood there in the Village, with trees lining the streets. It sounds like heaven, really.”

  Luke looked at the ceiling briefly and scrunched up his face. “Are you sure that she would be okay with us staying with her temporarily? I mean, she and I have never gotten along. Although I will have to say that I’m still grateful to her for what she did for me in the Nottingham situation.”

  I felt even more encouraged. I was prepared for Luke to say that we would stay with Serena over his dead body. But it did sound like it was something that he would actually consider.

  “I’m not sure,” I said. “That she will be willing to have us stay with her. But that would be perfect, wouldn’t it? Your artists co-op is in the Village, and being in that vibe would be so helpful for both of us. I would be totally excited to live there with her, even temporarily. I really hope that I could get into that co-op as well.”

  Luke stroked his chin. “Well, it’s a thought. Although I hate having to impose on all these people. First Liam, now Serena maybe. I personally can’t wait until there comes a time when you and I just have our own place. Just you and me. That will hopefully be sooner than you might think. At any rate, I think that by the time Olivia arrives, we’re going to have to have our own place. So, I better get moving with my art.”

  “Well, okay, then. I know what you mean as far as imposing on others, and you’re right – I hope that there will come a time when we don’t have to. But, for now, it seems like the best choice for us. Assuming that she doesn’t mind, of course.”

  Luke just grimaced. “Let’s go downstairs and see if Liam is expecting us for breakfast, and then we’ll have to figure it out from there, I guess. One thing’s for sure, we need to make a decision soon.”

  Chapter

  Luke

  I somehow knew that Dalilah was going to want us to stay with Serena. A few months ago, I would have howled in protest, no matter how much Dalilah liked the woman. But, when she helped me with my assault issue, I saw a different side to her. She didn’t have to help me like that, and she really stuck out her neck, too. That entire thing could have gone way south, and she would have been put into jail alongside me. She was gutsy for doing that, and she really saved my bacon.

  So, I had mixed feelings when Dalilah brought up to me that she wanted to try to stay with Serena. On one hand, I knew that Serena’s place would be perfect, if it was as nice as Dalilah said that it was. I had always wanted to live in the Village, because I craved being around that kind of atmosphere. Being around other artists, and writers, poets, actors and all types of creative people would be the absolute best scenario. I had to admit that my place in Brooklyn was not exactly conducive to composing my best.

  On the other hand, I still didn’t 100% trust Serena. As much as I knew that she was trying to change, I felt that it might be too hard for her to completely change enough. It might be a matter of time until the old Serena comes out, and she and I would be at each other’s throats. I no longer felt that Serena was bad to the core. I now knew that she wasn’t, and that, inwardly, she was really a good person. But I didn’t entirely think that her behavior would change drastically. And, if Dalilah and I lived with her, all of that would have to come out. If she was still a liar and a manipulator, there would be no covering that up if we were there 24/7.

  Well, hopefully we don’t necessarily have to stay there for very long. Dalilah was ju
st going to have to kick out her sub-lessee, but I understood that Dalilah was probably hesitant to ask the girl to leave until she could find a new place.

  We made a mess, Dalilah and me, by hastily coming out here to London in the first place. Now, it was time to clean it up.

  So, Dalilah and I had to figure it all out. We had breakfast with Liam, which consisted of croissants and eggs, with a side of strawberry pots de crème, which was basically strawberry pudding.

  “Well, Liam,” Dalilah said. “You’ve been awesome, letting us stay here. It was just what I needed, to come here and try to figure out what was going on and what I needed to do. But we think that it might be time to go home and fight.”

  Liam smiled. “Ah, so you aren’t going to try your blackmail scheme, huh? Too bad. I probably could have helped you with that.”

  “Nah,” Dalilah said. “I decided that I needed to do things the right way. Otherwise, I don’t know that I could wake up every morning and look at myself in the mirror.”

  “So, when are you leaving?” Liam asked.

  “Within the week,” Dalilah said. “We just have to tie up some loose ends.” Like where we’re going to stay.

  “Okay, then,” Liam said. “I’m going to miss you and Luke. I felt like we were just getting to know each other.”

  “I know.” Dalilah smiled, and gripped my hand. I nodded.

  I knew that the loose end that Dalilah was talking about involved my sister. I felt apprehensive, but, at the same time, I knew that it had to be done.

  So, after breakfast, Dalilah and I went to our room. I picked up the phone, and dialed Serena’s number.

  “Luke,” she said, picking it up. “Long time, no hear.”

  “I know,” I said. “I’ve been, uh, busy.”

  “Huh. Busy.”

  Somehow, I thought that Serena probably knew exactly what was going on. She always seemed to, it seemed.

  “Yes,” I said, suddenly feeling uncomfortable. “Well, as you know, Dalilah is pregnant. I’m sure that you also know the dilemma that she’s been in with that. I mean, considering the fact that she’s currently married to Nottingham and all.”

  “Of course,” she said. “That certainly is a situation, isn’t it?”

  “Yes,” I said. “Well, here’s what happened.” I then launched into how Dalilah and I decided to run to London to try to figure things out, and how we ultimately decided to come back to New York to try to work it out with a lawyer.

  “And you need a place to stay,” she said. “I got it.”

  “Yes,” I said, squeezing my eyes shut. I was prepared for her to say “no,” which would mean that Dalilah and I would have to go back to the drawing board after all.

  “Okay,” she said. “I’ve got plenty of room here, and, to be honest, it’s been just a little bit lonely here. It might be kind of nice to have people around here.”

  I let out my breath. I wasn’t entirely sure that I was happy that Serena agreed to let us live with her so quickly, or if I was apprehensive. A part of me actually wished that she would say no, and Dalilah and I would have to figure something else out for the time being.

  “Well, thank you. Dalilah and I are leaving here in a few days. I hope that’s not too short of notice. She really wants to get rolling with this custody situation. Get her ducks in a row before she faces down Nottingham.”

  “No, not too short of notice at all. Just let me know when I can expect you guys, and I’ll be there at the airport to pick you up.”

  I looked at Dalilah, who was looking at me expectantly. I gave her the thumb’s up, and she looked relieved.

  “Okay,” I said. “Well, thanks again. I mean, we won’t have to stay with you too very long. Just until Dalilah can kick out her sub-lessee.”

  “However much time you need,” Serena said. “I’ll talk to you soon, huh?”

  “Soon.” And I hung up.

  “So, it’s all set?” Dalilah asked me. “Serena is okay with us staying with her and everything?”

  “Yeah,” I said. “It seems like it. She said that she’s lonely there, anyhow, so it sounds like she might actually be looking forward to it, to be honest with you.”

  “Awesome,” Dalilah said. “Well, let’s get some plane tickets, and let’s go home.”

  I knew that it went without saying that Dalilah wasn’t going to call her dad to send his plane.

  So, I clicked online, bought two one-way tickets to La Guardia.

  We soon would be going home.

  Chapter

  Dalilah

  On the plane on the way home, it was time for decompress. I was feeling just a little bit airsick, so I made sure that I had a bag close. Luke got us First Class tickets, so I was comfortable enough. But I was more than a little sad to be leaving Liam’s gorgeous house, and I was extremely apprehensive about going to war with Nottingham.

  One thing that was nice was that Luke and I got the DNA test results back early. It confirmed what I knew all along – that Luke was the father of the baby. That brought both of us a lot of joy, of course. And it made both of us more determined than ever to fight to the death to make sure that Nottingham would never get a chance to get his hands on this child.

  Luke gripped my hand. The air hostess came around and took our order. This airline was offering a variety of sandwiches, chips and drinks. I ordered a veggie sandwich with chips, and Luke ordered a burger. I also wanted a tomato juice, and Luke got orange juice.

  As always, Luke all but read my mind. “You’re scared. I know you are. But you have to have some faith. Have some faith in the legal system, and have some faith in the universe. Everything is going to turn out just the way that it should.”

  “I hope you’re right. I really do.”

  “I am. Not that I have a magic crystal ball, but I do think that everything is going to work in our favor.”

  The food came, but I picked at it a little. Luke nudged me. “I know that you really don’t feel like it, but you have to at least try to eat. You might actually feel a bit better if you do.”

  I shook my head. “I know that you’re right, but it’s always been difficult for me to try to force food on myself if I just not feeling up to it. But I’ll try.”

  I nibbled on the sandwich, and put a few chips into my mouth. The salt on my tongue tasted good, so I delved into the bag of chips a bit more. Before I knew it, I had demolished the bag of chips and I started in on the sandwich. When I polished that off, I knew that Luke was right. I was feeling better.

  After I ate, I put my head on Luke’s shoulder. I knew that this was going to be a long plane ride, but the comfort of his shoulder made me feel like it wasn’t going to be that terrible.

  The plane finally landed. I was proud that I got through the trip back across the pond without puking once. Luke and I walked through the security part of the airport and headed for the baggage claim.

  Serena was waiting for us by the baggage claim. She came up to me, and put her arm around me. “How you feeling, Dalilah?” she asked. “God, you guys have had a time of it, haven’t you?”

  “You have no idea.”

  She then went over to Luke and gave him a hug. “Good to see you, kid. And how are you holding up?”

  “Been better,” he said. “Thanks again for taking us in.”

  Serena nodded. “To tell you the truth, I was happy that you called and more than happy that you wanted to come and stay with me.” She didn’t elaborate on that, though.

  Luke and I got our bags, and Serena helped us by taking some of our baggage. We all walked to her Lexus, and she put the bags in the trunk. I sat up front, and Luke sat in the back.

  “Now,” she said. “You’re going to have to explain things just a little bit more. What is going on with your child and Nottingham? I mean, you did a DNA test, right?”

  “Right,” I said. “And Luke is definitely the father.”

  “Ah,” she said, looking in her rear-view mirror at Luke. “I have some Cuban cigars
at home for you.” She smiled. “Don’t ask me where I got them, either. I’ll never tell. But go on.”

  “Well, because I’m married to Nottingham, and, well, at the time that I conceived, I had been living with Nottingham just a few days prior, the law says that Nottingham is presumed the father.”

  “Tell me what I’m missing,” Serena said. “You get a judge, you show them the DNA test that Nottingham isn’t the dad, and everybody walks away with a smile. Right?”

  “Well, it isn’t as easy as all of that, unfortunately. There are some judges who won’t even allow DNA evidence into the courtroom if the presumed father challenges the right to the child. There are others who might allow it, but then still rule that Nottingham has rights. It all depends on the best interest of the child. So, it’s a crap shoot, really.”

  “And what makes you even think that Nottingham is going to challenge this? He might just decide that he wants no part in it.”

  “He might,” I said. “But I know him. Any chance at all to get at me, he’s going to take. I mean, look at the lengths that he went to put Luke into prison. And what could devastate me more than getting his corrupt hands on my child?”

  “True that,” she said. “Well, I’m sorry to hear about all you guys are going through, but I’m happy to help with anything that you might need.” Then she looked at Luke. “You need money, kid? Those lawyer types can get pretty expensive. I speak from experience, there.”

  “No,” Luke said. “We’re okay. But, if you were going to offer, I thank you.”

  She shrugged. “I was going to offer, but I understand if you don’t want to feel like you owe me. But I’m your big sis. I know that I haven’t always been there for you, because, well, I’ve been kind of a bitch all these years. I’m here for you now, though.”

  In spite of himself, Luke smiled and then laughed. “Sorry, Serena, I don’t mean to laugh. It was just the way that you came out with that statement about you being a bitch. It was kinda funny the way that you said it.”