Jarillo Sunset Read online

  Toward the end of the performance, they finally got into the song I Love You Always, Forever and the crowd swayed even more and held up their hands waving, clapping, and dancing to the rhythm of the music. Jennifer’s body swayed softly as she danced on the stage, and at the end of the song, the crowd went wild. Jennifer then went into her best-selling song, Maybe Later.

  When the concert was over, the crowd cheered and roared as the band exited the stage, hoping they would come back out to do an encore. When the crowd realized they weren’t coming back on stage, they eventually dispersed back into the casino.

  Char walked over to where the security man stood and he let her through. She went toward an area where the band could mingle and rest, just as Vincent was coming out to greet her. The group stayed in the private quarters talking about the concert while they waited until the crowd dispersed.

  Chapter 16

  Vincent brought Char to his home, and they entered from the garage area and through the back door. Char set her purse on the counter and turned around to face Vincent.

  Vincent strolled over to where she was standing. She parted her lips and raised herself up to meet his kiss. He dove his tongue into the recesses of her mouth. Wrapping his arms around Char, he held her tightly against his chest as he continued to kiss her. Her nipples got hard against his chest. He loved the feel of her breasts against him. Vincent’s lips left her mouth and he kissed along her jawline. He nibbled lightly on her ear and then started to kiss her neck.

  He slowly walked Char backward, still holding her tight, and backed her up and into his bedroom. Closing the door with his foot, he walked her over to the king-sized bed. He turned the globe part of the lamp on so they had a little light. Pulling her shirt over her head, he dropped it to the floor. She turned and faced him as he reached around and unhooked her bra and watched her breasts as they bounced free from the entrapment. He tossed the bra aside and looked down at her lovely breasts.

  * * * *

  More than anything else, Char wanted Vincent to love her breasts. She wanted him to take possession of them and do all the wonderful things he had done before that brought her heady, steamy pleasure. She wanted that as much as she wanted him. Looking at him, and seeing his smoldering black eyes feast on her, sent spirals of ecstasy through her. She unbuttoned his shirt and slid it off his shoulders. She was mesmerized by his chest and ran her hands along the contours of his arms.

  Vincent touched her breasts, and she let out a gasp. “Oh, Vincent,” she whispered. “Please, you’re driving me nuts.”

  Vincent laid her back on the bed and came over her, kissing her breasts as he whispered love nothings to her. The velvet warmth of his lips on her breasts drove her beyond distraction. After teasing and sucking on her breasts, he drew his hand down the front of her to her belly to her jeans, unbuttoning them, and then unzipping them.

  She lifted her hips up slightly as he slid her jeans and panties off. He kissed her belly, his lips moving down toward her mound. Oh my God. He’s going to do it. He’s going to lick me there.

  Char widened her legs so Vincent could get to that spot she so needed him to be. He spread her mons so he could get into the crevices, licking and kissing her as she squirmed under his ministration. Finally getting to that spot, his tongue dipped inside of her, and she exploded into a million little stars.

  Char reached for Vincent’s jean button and zipper. She was still damp and singing from her climax, but she wanted more. She unzipped his jeans, and he stood up and slid them off. As he was still standing she reached for his penis. She stroked the head, and moved her hand gently down the long shaft. It shivered and became engorged at her touch. She gently rubbed his penis along her cheek. Her lips kissed him very slightly.

  “Oh, Char,” he whispered.

  Char rolled her tongue around his shaft, moving him in and out of her mouth. He arched back, letting her have all of him.

  “Char…Char, honey, I need to enter,” he said coarsely.

  Char lay back on the bed with her legs wide apart, inviting Vincent in. He slid inside and rocked in and out of her. She held him tightly as he thrust into her.

  “Vincent,” Char said quietly.

  “Yeah, honey?”

  “I really like this from the back,” she whispered.

  Vincent pulled out and guided her hips so she turned around and got on her knees, with her legs spread out widely. He entered her from behind, and held on to her hips as he rocked back and forth in rhythm. With each thrust he entered her a little deeper.

  “Oh yeah, like that, baby,” Char hitched.

  “Does it feel good?”

  “Oh yeah,” Char murmured.

  “Do you want it slow and sweet, or fast and hard?” Vincent asked gently.

  “Surprise me.”

  He started out slow and sweet, and increased a little each time until it was fast and hard. Vincent was ramming into her so deep that Char could feel and hear his balls smacking her.

  “Right there, Vincent.” Her body melted against his, her world was filled with him. “Oh, oh baby, you got it,” Char said. The pleasure was pure and explosive, and she gasped in sweet agony.

  Vincent, still holding onto her hips, went in deep one last time and had his release.

  Char was filled with an amazing sense of completeness as Vincent finally lay down beside her, their naked bodies still moist from their lovemaking. Char’s head was resting on Vincent’s chest as a golden wave of passion and love flowed between them.

  “That was phenomenal,” Vincent said in a husky voice.

  “Hmm, yeah it was,” she murmured, kissing his chest.

  Char had never felt anything so wonderful and pleasurable in her life. Her feelings for Vincent were so strong and powerful that she was afraid and she didn’t know what to make of it.

  * * * *

  Vincent still didn’t know how he knew these things, but in his mind, they had cemented their relationship. He knew he loved her, and the only thing to do was to convince Char that they were destined to be together.

  But they would have plenty of time for that later. Right now he just wanted to revel in the newness of their relationship. He loved the possessiveness and intimacy as he entered her, feeling her closed around his shaft, holding him tight. He didn’t remember ever entering any woman as deep as he had with Char, and he found it very satisfying. What made it even more wonderful in his mind was that all this pleasure was wrapped up in a beautiful, intelligent woman.

  It had been a couple of years since he’d been with a woman, and when he met Char, he wasn’t looking for anyone. He figured all the years he’d spent with Tammie had hardened him against getting involved with anyone else again, even though he did, secretly in his heart, desire to settle down with someone and raise a family.

  He and his brother, William, had discussed the idea of marriage and family. William didn’t feel he could ever be involved with anyone because he was afraid he’d be abusive as their parents had been to them. Unlike William, Vincent knew he would never be abusive to his wife or children. Vincent loved children and knew he would be a loving and doting parent.

  Vincent’s arms tightened around Char as she snuggled up against him. He could envision them happily married with children of their own. With that thought on his mind, he drifted off to sleep.

  * * * *

  Char was pulled out of a deep, dreamless sleep by a persistent shrill.

  She heard a voice. “H’ llo.” It was a low, whispering voice. “What happened?”

  Char stirred to see where the voice was coming from. She looked around, confused at first, and then realized she was in Vincent’s bed and turned to look at him. He was sitting up at the other end of the bed.

  “How is she?” he asked quietly, not realizing that Char was awake. “All right, I’ll be there in a few minutes.” He paused then said, “Well, William, you’re just going to have to deal with the baby until I get there.”

  Vincent snapped the phone shut an
d turned slightly to find Char sitting up and staring at him.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked.

  “Debbie’s asshole boyfriend beat her up and she’s at the hospital. William is at her house, and he’s all upset and doesn’t know the first thing about caring for a baby. I’ve got to go and take care of Emily until I can get Rosie there.” Vincent got up and started to get dress.

  “I’ll go with you. I can take care of the baby until she arrives.”

  “Aw, honey, you don’t have to do that,” Vincent said with gratefulness in his voice.

  “It’s not a problem. If Emily wakes up, she may respond better to a woman than she would a nervous man.” Char smiled as she started putting on her clothes.

  Chapter 17

  They drove over to his sister Debbie’s house and walked in. William was pacing back and forth in the living room. “I’m gonna beat the hell out of the son of a bitch,” William said angrily.

  “Why don’t you let the sheriff deal with him, William? No sense you getting yourself in trouble too,” Vincent said soothingly.

  “Yes, well, I’ll see you at the hospital.” William bolted out the door.

  Char and Vincent walked into the area where the baby was sleeping in her crib. She was sound asleep, as if her world was peaceful and pleasant. Char patted her softly on the back.

  “She sure is a pretty little thing, isn’t she?” Char said quietly.

  “Yeah, she is. If I don’t get her mother in for counseling though, she’ll be in for a rough life.”

  They walked back into the living room, and Char turned around and looked at Vincent. “You can’t force people to do what you want them to do. They have to want to do it themselves.”

  “I know that. I’m trying to get her to at least admit she has a problem and needs help. That alone will help put her in the right direction. I don’t know how badly she’s been beaten, but maybe this will help open her eyes.” Vincent thought about a few things. He needed to contact his lawyer friend, and he needed to convince the asshole that beat Debbie up to leave the county. “I’m going to go to the hospital and check on her, and then see if I can track down Rosie,” Vincent said.

  “Okay, let me know what happens,” Char said. Vincent could see the concern on her face. She hugged him and gave him a kiss. “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah, I’m okay. I don’t think William is though, and I know Debbie isn’t.”

  “Do you think William is going to do anything?” Char asked.

  “Yeah, I can almost guarantee he’s going to do something, and so am I, but not with violence.”

  * * * *

  As Vincent pulled into the hospital parking garage, he called Bruce and told him what happened, asking that he come to the hospital and help him with Debbie. Bruce promised he’d be there in a half hour.

  Vincent entered the emergency room and inquired about his sister. The nurse took him down to Debbie’s room in the emergency room triage. He walked in and looked at his sister. Her face was almost completely covered with bruises, but she was awake.

  “Hey, how are you doing?” Vincent asked.

  “I’ve had better days,” Debbie replied, barely audible.

  “What happened this time, Deb?” Vincent gave her that I-told-you-it-would-happen-again voice.

  “Stop, Vincent. I don’t want lectures from you,” Debbie said forcibly.

  “Deb, you’re not only putting your life in danger, you’re putting Emily’s life in danger, hanging around this asshole,” Vincent said quietly.

  “I know that,” Debbie said, almost in tears. “Two days ago he told me he loved me and he wanted to be a part of my life and the baby’s life. He said he was going to change and he would never hit me again.” Fresh tears started in her eyes.

  “What changed his mind this time?” Vincent asked.

  “I was doing laundry, and I accidently threw his favorite t-shirt in the dryer and it shrunk. He just went off on me,” she cried. “Vincent, there are just no good men out there anywhere. Certainly none like you, and I really want to have someone who would love me and my baby. You know?” She dropped her voice to a whisper.

  “That’s just it, Deb, you do have someone who loves you and Emily. He loves you very much, but you won’t give him the time of day,” Vincent said, still keeping his voice low.

  “Who?” Debbie asked.

  “The next guy that comes in here,” Vincent said quietly.

  Debbie looked up at him, and he could see the questions in her eyes.

  “Did he hit you anywhere besides your face?” Vincent asked.

  “No,” Debbie replied, whispering.

  Bruce Spinner walked into the triage unit that Vincent and Debbie were in. He took one look at her face and walked over to her and gave her a kiss and a hug. “Aw, Debbie. What happened?” He sat down in the chair next to her and held her hand in his.

  Debbie looked up at Vincent, and he gave her a look that said he’s-the-one. She smiled slightly at him.

  “I have to find Rosie, and make a call. Will you stay with her for a while?” Vincent asked Bruce.

  “Yeah, I’ll be here as long as she needs me.”

  “That’s going to be a long time, Bruce,” Debbie said in a whisper. He looked at her blankly as Vincent left the area.

  Vincent walked to the emergency room receptionist desk as a guy was brought in on a stretcher, his face all bloodied. Vincent looked and then looked again. He was Emily’s father, the guy that beat up his sister. He wondered if William had found him. Ahh, man.

  Vincent turned to the receptionist and said, “Hey, Rosie Mueller works the midnight shift here, and I’m not sure which floor she works on, but she’s my sister and also the sister to Debbie Carter, who was just brought in here. Is there some way you can get ahold of her and have her come to the emergency room as soon as possible?”

  “Certainly, let me check the directory and see if I can locate her,” the receptionist said. Within a few minutes, she had located Rosie, and she called her on the phone and asked her to come down to the ER.

  A few minutes later, Rosie exited the elevators and came up to Vincent. “What’s going on?” she asked.

  “Deb was brought in here a bit ago, her face all beat up. Bruce is in with her now. I think William may have executed his own brand of justice and went after the asshole that beat her up. The guy was just brought in.”

  “Oh my God. Who’s with the baby?” Rosie asked.

  “Char is,” Vincent replied.

  “Oh, thank goodness. I’ll go sit with Debbie for a while, and then I’ll go and take the baby home with me until she’s released.”

  Vincent nodded his approval. “I have a phone call to make. It’ll require waking someone up, but it has to be done. I’ll talk to you later.”

  Vincent walked to an area of the hospital where it was quiet and he could have a private conversation. He called his friend Nick Saber, who was an attorney. After eight rings, he finally answered the phone. “H’llo,” he said groggily.

  “Nick, it’s Vincent. I need you to do something, quickly and discreetly.”

  “Yeah, um, let me wake up a sec. What’s going on?” Nick asked, yawning.

  “Deb’s boyfriend, Hunter Greene, just beat the crap out of her again. You remember what we talked about a few weeks ago about getting him to sign off all rights to the child and to leave town?”

  “Yeah, I remember, I got a draft started, just in case of something like this.”

  “Well, I think he’ll be very interested in signing the papers and getting the hell out of town. Someone just did a number on him, and I think it might have been William.”

  “Oh no. Is the sheriff around?”

  “I haven’t seen any deputies or the sheriff.”

  “Vince, we need to get this guy to sign the papers and disappear before the sheriff reins in on him. Is there any way to find out who did beat him up?”

  “I can try and call William, but that is why I’m calling you at thre
e in the morning,” Vincent answered.

  “Okay, I’ll get on my computer and get the papers drafted up for him to sign. I’ll be at the hospital in about an hour or so. You will have to have a talk with him.”

  “Yeah, I’m on it. I’ll visit him right now.”

  “Okay, I’ll be there soon.”

  “Thanks, Nick.”

  Vincent snapped his phone shut and walked past the receptionist desk and started looking into triage rooms for Hunter Greene. He walked by Debbie’s room, and saw that Rosie and Bruce were holding Debbie in their arms. He found Hunter Greene two doors down. Hunter was moaning and restless in the bed, demanding to be let go.

  When the staff left his room temporarily, Vincent walked in and put his hand around Hunter’s neck, causing him to go rigid and almost choke. He opened his eyes so wide that Vincent could see the white all around them. He started to say something when Vincent put the index finger of his other hand to his lips.

  “You know that I can do this, don’t you?” Vincent said.

  Hunter nodded, his lips quivering.

  “You know I will do this if you ever lay another hand on my sister, don’t you?” Vincent asked, as he leaned in close to Hunter’s face so that he had no choice but to look back at Vincent.

  Hunter nodded again.

  “In about an hour, someone will be in here with papers for you to sign. Papers that will relinquish your rights and access to Emily Carter, and papers that state your agreement to leave this county and never step foot here ever again, or make any contact whatsoever with Debbie and Emily. As soon as you are released from this hospital, you are to hightail it out of here. You are not to talk to the sheriff or any other law enforcement officer, and we will never see the likes of you ever again. Do I make myself clear?”

  Hunter nodded and tried to speak, but couldn’t with Vincent’s hand on his throat.

  “If you don’t do exactly what I just told you, I will come after you. Do you understand that?”

  Hunter nodded again.