Mercy Me

By Mary Tyler

Jessie Mann always in the shadow of others. Never taking control in work, love or her personal life. Standing up for herself was out of the question she thought. Jessie never saw the beauty that others saw and drew them to her. Love and the zest for Life.

Michael Sands walked into her life and changed everything. Making her come alive for the first time.

Showing her the dominate side of sex and control. But who is controlling whom? Can he make her see and feel what they could have or is it too much for both of them. Can Jessie be the one to help him with his demons?

Then to find out the one you called family, her BFF Sarah Canter is into a lifestyle that is dark and sensual. Can all the lies and secrets change or break their bond they shared? How accepting can you be to the deception never really knowing someone?

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Dec 16, 2015
• ISBN: 9781491776674

Mary Tyler

Mary Tyler Born and raised in the Mid-west. She loves the outdoors, traveling, jazz and country music. Single mom with a son who encouraged her to pursue her dream of writing. 2 crazy Shepherd-Chow mixes, Griffen and Sebastian.

Book preview

PROLOGUE

N O! I SCREAM INTO the night. It’s still dark. I sit up in bed and run my hand through her hair. The clock is the only light in the room: 3:00 a.m. My sheets are all wet. I feel clammy, and my T-shirt is sticky. I sigh. God, what next?

There I go again, waking up in cold sweats. When will it stop? Counseling hasn’t helped. I shake my hair out of my face, swing my legs over the bed, and walk into the bathroom. I am in a trance. I get ready to splash water on my face, and I see tears on my face. I haven’t even felt them.

I look like hell. I have dark bags under my eyes, and my hair is spiked like Bozo the Clown. I chuckle. I should look that good.

I slam my hand down on the counter. I have to stop talking to myself. I can’t sleep. Maybe Sarah is right. I need to try again. Once you start, you can’t just stop. Suck it up and move on. That’s what they say. Were they ever in my shoes? Do they know what they’re talking about? I just can’t seem to forget. Doesn’t anyone understand? It’s not something you can just turn on and off. How long will it take for the pain to subside?

I walk back to bed, pull my hair back with a tie, and drop my T-shirt on the floor. I pull the blanket over the damp sheets, lie down, and sigh. I close my eyes. I need to focus and get it together.

My hand starts to move over my throat, moving down to my breasts. My body shivers.

Damn you, Michael. Why did you do this to me? Why are you gone? Your touch always started at the top. You said you didn’t want to miss one little spot, especially the creamy middle. Just thinking about the things you said makes me wet. You taught me so much about myself. It feels just like yesterday. It’s ingrained in my head and my body. Please make the empty feeling go away. I’m not sure what is worse: the pain or the empty feeling.

CHAPTER 1

S ARAH AND I WALK into one of my favorite bars on the Kansas City Plaza. Inside Hearts, the lights are flashing. People walk from one place to another, some a little drunker than the rest. It always flows like a brook until there is a hiccup, a fight breaks out, or someone starts yelling. Then, just like nothing happened, we all start moving to the next agenda. Man, I love the charged atmosphere. Neon signs flash and try to draw us in. Each place offers its own special type of entertainment.

Sarah Canter is my best friend. At twenty-six, she is five foot ten with curves that always draw a stare from the guys—even the girls’ mouths are open. She doesn’t walk; she struts and swings her long, curly auburn hair. She is shaped like a figure eight; her curves make you want to stroke her. She always draws a crowd, seems to know everyone, and dresses to stand out. Even I am in awe of her. For four years, we have been best friends, but we are actually more like sisters. We have both been on our own for years and have no family to speak of. Sarah’s mom died, and she doesn’t know her dad. Sarah always watches out for me. We take care of each other.

My name is Jessie Mann. I am twenty-five, and my curly blonde hair goes halfway down my back. I have always been a follower and never stood out. I don’t have much confidence in myself, and I never fight for what I want. People don’t look at me unless I run into them. That’s how I met Sarah. I fell into her while going through the door at work. I was rushing so I wouldn’t be late.

I moved away from home when I was twenty. My mom passed away; I only have a sister and a brother, but I hardly ever speak to them. Being on my own has made me strong inside, but it doesn’t show on the outside. I just let life happen, I don’t cause trouble, and I don’t make waves. That’s me in a nutshell. I have been a retail-clothing buyer for Rosheeks for four years. Management always tells me to do this or do that, but it is never enough. No one is happy these days. They bitch, bitch, bitch. The only good thing is that I get great discounts on the clothes that come in!

Tonight feels different, but I can’t put my finger on it. The spring has been warmer than usual. Everywhere we go, people keep bumping into us, especially me. I am starting to get really pissed. I only get the nerve to speak out when I drink.

Sarah, I swear I’m going to deck the next person who bumps into me, I say.

She starts to laugh. I want to see that! She hip bumps me with laughter in her eyes.

You just wait and see. God, I am such a whiner. I need to get some action or something.

Girl, lighten up. We are out to have some fun. Let’s go. I need to get me a drink.

As we walk in the door, someone bumps and pushes me from behind—and the person has the nerve to touch my ass.

A bunch of guys start yelling and tell everyone to get out of their way.

I stop. I feel my cheeks turning red. I am ready to explode.

Sarah turns to see what’s going on. She shakes her head and tries to grab my arm. Don’t do anything. Just keep walking, she hisses.

All I can think of is the person who is pushing up against my ass. Whoever’s hands are on my waist is about to get a piece of my mind. Damn it! I turn around so fast that I fall forward right into what feels like a rock wall. It smells like cinnamon and outdoors and feels like heaven in a large package.

I raise my voice. Ass! Watch where—

I don’t even get to finish what I’m saying. I see a sea-blue T-shirt with a chest that feels like it goes on forever. My fingers start moving over it like I am reading braille. The smell is clean and fresh. It is amazing—all muscular musk and spices. I keep looking up and up. Damn. I swear a lot in my head.

He must be over six foot four. He is smiling and laughing at me. His eyes are as dark as the night. I could have drowned in them. He has an aristocratic nose and lips that I just want to eat up. I could stay here all night, running my hands down his body. Yummy! I think I start to drool, but I am too scared to check. I don’t want to take my hands off my wet dream come to life.

Some of his friends push us apart and try to get to the bar.

Come on, Michael, one of them says. We’ve got more drinking to catch up on.

Michael starts moving away, mumbling something about being sorry.

Sarah grabs my arm. Shit. Did you see them? Oh my God. I’m dizzy just from looking at all that testosterone in one space. She smacks her lips.

I look around, and all the women in the bar are checking out the guys. It’s like time has stopped. All four guys look like they could have walked out of a modeling shoot. They yell at the bartender to get them a round of Crown shots. All four of them are wearing the same blue T-shirts.

Michael’s eyes are black as coal, and his shoulders and arms don’t stop flexing. His muscular legs never end, and he has a tight ass. The front of his jeans make it look like he’s ready to bust out. God, please make this fantasy come true. Lick, slurp. Am I drooling?

The second guy has dirty blond hair that is cut close to his head. He’s two inches shorter than Mr. Chocolate Yummy. He has muscles everywhere, but he is just a little leaner. He seems the most vocal in egging on Mr. Yummy.

The third guy looks Hispanic. His smile could stop a woman on a dime. He is definitely a lady-killer. He is built like a brick shithouse. He seems to go along with what the second guy does. He is winking at the ladies as they walk by, trying to catch their attention.

The fourth one just watches it all, observing. He has dark skin, and he is as tall as Mr. Yummy. He looks more muscular than Mr. Yummy. They are all so buff and mouthwatering. The quietest of the four is also the one who scares me the most. He never takes his eyes off the people around them. It looks like he’s ready to strike. He doesn’t seem to like the rowdy crowd being so close to him.

All the ladies drool and try to catch their attention. They look pretty pathetic. It is kind of funny to watch. I chuckle. I love to watch people at bars. I imagine all kinds of things about the people I see. It’s like a rush of adrenaline when I try to guess what they might do in public.

Sarah pushes me to the left. Let’s get a drink and cool off. Stay away from them. She acts like she wants to say something else, but she turns away from them. Easy for her to say. When she walks, people step aside to make a path for her. How does she do that? Shit. I can’t win!

The left side of the bar is our favorite spot to hang out. Scott always takes care of us. He is almost as muscular as the guys in the blue shirts. He has shaggy brown hair and a smile that makes me melt inside.

Ladies, Scott says. He sets our drinks in front of us as we sit down.

It’s nice to know you have someone who will look out for you in this day and age. You never know since a lot of crap goes on in bars. Scott is like our free, good-looking bodyguard. No one messes with us here; that’s one of the reasons we make this our favorite bar.

The atmosphere is charged tonight. The music is vibrating all three levels. On the lower area, you can dance or stand at the railing and watch the crowd dance like crazy. The main level has a bar that seems to go on forever. There is access to the upper and lower areas. The upper level, which overlooks the entire