blush (Westbrook Series) Read online

  He reached his large arms around her and tickled her until she stopped trying to break his hold around her waist. Missy let herself ease into his hold, which she soon learned was a mistake. Brandon picked her up and situated her nicely across his knee raising her skirt to her waist. He had an outstanding view of his target. Missy had never had a man actually spank her before so she held her breath and closed her eyes tightly, anxiously awaiting her punishment.

  Brandon rubbed her bottom until she whimpered with lust then gave her three firm pops close to her core. "You are way too good at that," she moaned in appreciation. Missy felt tingles followed by wetness. She lifted her tush and shook it at him requesting another. Instead he bent her across the bed and placed kisses on the red marks he had left, his fingers touching her opening. She bucked begging for more. When she attempted to roll over, he held his arm over her body keeping her in place. Missy heard the foil and excitedly waited to feel the head of his erection touch her. Brandon only teased her with his finger tips and mouth until she pleaded, "Please Brandon." As soon as his name came off of her lips he plunged into her with vigor. He slowed down when she let out a whimper.

  "Harder," she demanded. He pulled out softly and pushed himself back in swiftly. Missy shrieked with delight while rotating and moving her hips, driving him mad. Brandon reached down and nipped the nape of her neck. It was all she could take. She moaned loudly and started pulsing. The pressure of her orgasm made her tight around his cock. He thrust aggressively one more time and came hard as she vibrated through him.

  "Wow! You really know how to punish a girl." Missy muttered in a satisfied but tired voice.

  Brandon chuckled kissing her bottom once more, "I'll go run us a bath."

  Chapter 11

  Missy and Marcy became fast friends. Marcy grew up in the neighborhood right next to the one Missy lived in when she was younger. They reminisced over the hang outs they frequented in their younger days. Even though Marcy was a few years older than Missy, she was surprised they had never met before, especially since she was the same age as Nicole. The guys laughed at their quick camaraderie and went on discussing the game displayed on the television of the bar.

  "Men!" Marcy shook her head and looked down, "You put them in front of a television and they lose all focus of the world around them."

  Cade pinched Marcy's ass making her yelp a little, then giggle. He turned his attention back to the screen.

  Brandon smiled at Missy and kissed her nose before returning to the conversation the men were having.

  "You've really done a number on that one," Marcy said quietly trying to speak so the men didn't hear. "I have never seen him like that."

  "Really? How long have you known Brandon?"

  Marcy thought for a second, "Around four years now, I guess; he introduced Cade and me."

  Marcy looked back at the guys, who were still focused on the game, and rolled her eyes. "Come on." Marcy pulled Missy to her feet. "Let's go play a game of pool."

  "Man, she really has you pussy whipped," Mark gushed as he turned to watch the women leave, not taking his eyes off of Missy's ass.

  Brandon glanced at Mark giving a warning glare. Brandon didn't understand exactly how he was feeling for Missy but he WAS NOT whipped.

  "She must be good. Maybe I'll take her for a drive when you're finished." Mark continued as he sucked down his fifth beer.

  Cade stared and waited for it. He knew it was coming. Brandon didn't make him wait long, he jumped out of his chair, reared back and punched Mark square in the nose. "What the hell dude?" Mark whined grabbing a napkin and wiping the blood pouring out of his nostril.

  Missy and Marcy observed from the pool table in disbelief. "Marcy, I'm not feeling so well, can you take me home?" Missy asked, still shocked at what Brandon had just done.

  "Sure, let me go grab my purse and tell Cade. I'll meet you outside."

  "So do those two always go at it like that?" Missy asked Marcy after they left the parking lot.

  "No, usually we all just ignore the stupid shit that comes out of Mark's mouth. Most of the time he is a really good guy. I mean other than the whole womanizing issue." Marcy chuckled. "They've all been friends since high school, anyway when he drinks he turns into a real dick."

  Marcy added, "Cade told me he was talking shit about you so I guess that's where Brandon drew the line."

  When they pulled in front of Missy's building, Missy gave Marcy a melancholy smile. "Thanks for the ride. I'm sure after some rest I'll feel better." Missy didn't know if rest would do the trick though. She had seen Brandon out with his friends twice now and both times he flew into a heated rage. Missy recognized she was starting to feel strongly about him, but she didn't sign on as an anger management counselor. The knowledge that both times he had lost his temper were because of her didn't escape her mind either.

  "Don't worry over tonight. Those guys will make up in no time." Marcy threw Missy a sympathetic wave and drove away.

  Chapter 12

  Brandon sat and pouted after the women left. He was not going to run after her, especially tonight. He was NOT whipped. After twenty minutes of staring at the television Brandon was done. "Screw this shit guys, I'm going home."

  Mark sighed, "Dude I am really sorry. I didn't know you were into the chick like that."

  Brandon shrugged it off. "I'd of probably messed it up soon anyway," he said and headed out the door.

  Brandon contemplated going over to Missy's. He pushed that idea away as quick as it came. His hand was still red and swollen, so he chose to head for home to hide in the corner and lick his wounds. This was getting too serious too soon anyway.

  After two aspirin and a cold pack the pain had stopped enough for Brandon to try and get some sleep. He tossed and turned with only unsuccessful attempts at dozing off; his thoughts kept going back to the night before in Missy's apartment. He adored laying with her as they stared into each other. He had committed to memory each of her features as he traced them gently with his fingers. They laughed and nuzzled until they both fell asleep. It was the best he had ever rested. Now just twenty-four hours later, he was miserable. He reached for his phone and sent her a quick text. "Sorry about tonight. I'm an ass." He waited for a response until his eyes became heavy.

  The next morning Brandon had still not heard from Missy. He swung his legs over to the floor and slowly pulled himself out of bed. After an hour run and a thirty minute scalding shower, he still had no response. He couldn't stress about it now, he promised his mom he would have lunch with her, his sister Dayna, and the new man in his mother's life, Enrique. Great! This is going to be awesome. Brandon picked up his cell giving it one last glance.

  "Brandon, I would like for you to meet Enrique." Brandon put his hand forward and shook. He eyed the man then continued around to the other side of the table to sit next to his sister. She chuckled when he rolled his eyes.

  "So you two, tell us how you met," Dayna requested cheerfully. She tossed her most dazzling smile toward Enrique, hiding the pain Brandon was causing by kicking her under the table. When she unyieldingly kicked back, he bit his lip and rubbed his shin. "Yes. We would love to hear about it," Brandon stammered trying to push back the stinging in his leg.

  Brenda started laying out the accounts only stopping for Enrique to add a comment here and there. He lovingly had his arm around her shoulder and tucked her in to kiss her head every so often, not interrupting her story. He joked around with Brandon and Dayna about the touristy things Brenda had made him do all over the Mediterranean. Enrique was actually a really great guy. He had a wonderful sense of humor and was much more down to earth than the stuffy control freaks Brenda usually associated with. By the end of the meal, Brandon was feeling a tad more optimistic about everything. He was happy his mother had found someone she truly seemed to enjoy, even though the sight of two people gushing over one another reminded him of Missy. He shook the thoughts out of his mind. His mom was a pro at reading his emotions and he didn't want to w
orry her.

  Brandon had still not heard from Missy that evening; he came to the conclusion that the times they shared were a thing of the past. She was obviously not able to forgive him for his barbaric actions at the bar. He remembered the paralyzed fear she had on her face before she turned completely pale and insisted on leaving. He was going to bring her home but Marcy was adamant about taking her instead. Marcy advised Brandon to give Missy some time to process everything. He really did try to do just that, but he wanted to be able to apologize. Now that he had, he should let her calm down. He would see her on Monday at work so anything else he had to say would need to wait till then.

  Missy laid in the uncomfortable bed trying to replay the events of the past few days:

  She remembered walking into her building, but still couldn't recall where she had been. She recalled heading up the third flight of stairs toward her studio apartment when she felt him grab her from behind. His large frame towered over her; he had to be at least six foot four inches. He held her arms tight to her body and jabbed his fist into her ribs. Missy felt the opportunity to escape and she went into action, bending her knees and plunging her elbow into his flabby stomach. She didn't stop there, without thinking twice she reared her elbow back for another hit, this time to his face. When he let go, Missy ran for her apartment, but he caught her before she could unlock the door. He clutched her hair and drug her back to the stairs, making sure to snatch her purse in the process. Then with one swift blow to the face she saw nothing but darkness.

  When Missy woke up in the hospital, she remembered the doctors and nurses fussing around her. She tried to move but the pain and the IV didn't allow it. She tried to rationalize what was going on but only fell into darkness again.

  The next time Missy roused she was in a room, quiet and dark other than the light of the television. She tried to move but only felt pain. "You're awake!" Missy looked over and saw a petite blonde covered up with a small blanket in a chair by the bed. "Wh-what happened?" Missy managed to stammer out.

  "You were attacked in the stairwell of your building. Your neighbor called 911 when she heard you screaming." The blonde rubbed Missy's hand. "The police caught him before he made away with your bag."

  "Who are you?" Missy questioned grimacing from the pain.

  "Missy it's me, Chloe....I am the first quick dial in your phone so the hospital contacted me when you arrived." Chloe stood and pressed the nurse button. "Don't you recognize me?"

  "Everything hurts."

  "Yeah the jackass broke three of your ribs. You also have some nasty stitches in your head, not to mention that badass black eye you are sporting."

  "Hi, Ms. Duncan. You gave us quite a scare." The nurse quickly went to work checking Missy's vitals. She also inserted something into the IV for the pain.

  "She doesn't remember who I am," Chloe informed the nurse with concern in her voice.

  "That is fairly normal in this type of event, but I will let the doctor know. He will be in shortly."

  "Missy do you remember anything before the hospital?" The doctor quizzed. He had already gone through the basics of what's your name and the date. Missy had been asleep for thirty- two hours straight. The elder doctor blamed the long rest on the medication they were giving her.

  "Not really; I see flashes of things but nothing else."

  "Well you endured some mild trauma to your head so temporary amnesia is, to some extent, par for the course. You also just went through a very traumatic experience so repression is also normal. I will check on you before my shift ends. Definitely let someone know if anything changes and for now try to get some rest." The doctor jotted down some notes on his clipboard. "I am going to prescribe you something to help you sleep. This should help the swelling which should aid with the memory loss."

  Chapter 13

  On Monday, Brandon arrived at the office bright and early. Damn! She's not here yet. He checked in with the designers working on the Mercer project and then headed to his office. His secretary, Jeanie, had mentioned she would be late so she hadn't arrived yet. He put down his briefcase and went to the break room for coffee. Once she appeared fifteen minutes later, she gave him his messages and they went over his schedule for the day.

  "Chloe called in and insisted you call her back at this number." The lanky woman with gray curls escaping her bun placed a sticky note on his desk.

  "I'm running behind for my first meeting, I will call her when I finish up. Please send her number to my phone, and when Missy gets here put her through to my cell immediately."

  Brandon popped his head into Missy's office one more time before leaving. Still not here. That's odd. She must be really pissed.

  The morning meetings turned into afternoon meetings. By the time Brandon returned to the office, the staff was coming back from their lunch outings.

  "Any messages?" Brandon asked Jeanie not stopping for her to respond.

  "Yes. You have two messages from R.C. in Dallas and Chloe called again."

  Shit Chloe. "What about Missy?"

  "She hasn't made it in yet sir."

  "Okay. Get Chloe on the phone and put her through to my office." Brandon was really concerned that Missy was MIA. It is not like her to skip out on work no matter how mad she is.

  "Sir, Chloe is on line one."

  Brandon sat paralyzed as Chloe filled him in on Missy's attack. He heard her speaking but it seemed distant. Missy. He had to get to Missy.

  Brandon raced out the door, no briefcase, no phone.

  When he arrived at the hospital, Chloe was sitting in a chair reading a book while Missy slept. "How is she doing?" He spoke softly so he didn't wake her up.

  Chloe looked up with a tired grin, "Still sleeping. They are giving her meds to make her rest. They say it should help the brain swelling."

  "Brain swelling?" Brandon appeared confused. He looked at Missy and inspected the repaired gash in her head.

  "Yes, I don't think you let me get that far on the phone. Missy has some swelling from the hit to her head. Brandon she has amnesia." Brandon went limp. "The doctor indicated it was probably a temporary effect of the attack, but she hasn't remembered anything yet."

  Because he felt like his legs weren't going to hold him up much longer, Brandon slumped into the nearest chair and pulled it close to Missy's bed. He kissed the palm of her hand and retuned his gaze back to Chloe. Her eyes were dark and swollen. She had obviously been up a while.

  "Why don't you go home and get some rest. I've got it from here." Brandon gave her a reassuring smile.

  "Thank you; that would be great. Oh, and Brandon I would have called. I didn't know your cell number, but I would have called."

  He gave her a forgiving smile and she walked out of the room.

  At ten o'clock that night, Missy started stirring. It took her several minutes to acknowledge where she was. It wasn't until the pain hit that everything came into perspective. She turned her head slightly and saw that Chloe was no longer there. Instead, she had been replaced by a professionally dressed man with black hair and strong facial features. His suit jacket was thrown over the chair, and the top few buttons of his shirt had been undone. He was flipping through a magazine not stopping to read the pages. He seemed very anxious.

  "Excuse me." Brandon shot up startled by the sound of her voice. Before she could blink he was there beside her bed.

  "Oh Missy, how are you?" He whimpered in a broken tone.

  "Um, could you please call the nurse? You have the remote with the call button."

  Brandon handed her the remote. "Are you okay? Can I get you anything?"

  The nurse came in and gave Missy something through her IV to help with the pain. Missy also requested a glass of ice, but before the nurse could finish checking Missy's vitals and grab a cup for her, Brandon was back and feeding it to her attentively.

  "Wow! Who's your friend?" The nurse asked, bantering about his promptness to tend to Missy's needs.

  "Um.. I um.."

  "I'm B
randon."

  When the nurse left the room, Missy eyed Brandon. "I'm sorry. I am having trouble remembering some things. I see flashes but that's about it."

  Brandon smiled lovingly, "Don't worry baby, you'll get it back."

  Missy turned away, "So I guess you are my um... boyfriend?" She was upset she couldn't remember someone she would actually let into her hectic life. She had no trouble recalling how hard she had worked or that men were not usually a permanent fixture in her life.

  "Well not yet, but I'm still trying," he answered with a warm smile.

  Over the next week Brandon didn't leave her side. He talked to her about work and his family. Everyone was delighted when she remembered his mother. As Chloe visited Missy remembered her as well. Missy even started to regain moments with Brandon. She would dream of him, wonderful, sexy dreams. The main event of her life that she was still missing was that night.

  She remembered Brandon, and blood. She remembered blood. There were people all around them. Brandon was towering over someone with an angry glare. The man looked shocked and a little frightened. Another man watching on looked almost a bit amused. She woke.

  When he sprinted to her side, she stared at him with pale skin and fear in her eyes. "Can you call Chloe to come? You look exhausted."

  "Sure, I'll give her a call. I'll be right back, but I'm fine."

  When Chloe arrived, she managed to talk Brandon into going home for a few hours to tend to some things at the office and get some rest. "You need to sleep in a real bed; she will need your full attention when she gets out of here." That's the only thing that convinced him to leave her side. The doctor's had told him that morning that she should be able to go home very soon.

  After he had gone Missy hesitantly told Chloe the memory she had recalled. Chloe could see the apprehension on her face. "I'm not sure Missy, you've never mentioned that." Chloe talked to her about the night in the club. Missy had recollected that evening already . Chloe had also made sure to let her know that she had moved beyond that. Missy turned her gaze toward the window. "This was worse than the night at the club. I saw...there was blood. It was all over some guy's face. I don't know...maybe it was just a dream. It felt so real."