Love in Chaos Read online

  Published by EVERNIGHT PUBLISHING ® at Smashwords

  www.evernightpublishing.com

  Copyright© 2021 Sam Crescent

  ISBN: 978-0-3695-0368-8

  Cover Artist: Jay Aheer

  Editor: Audrey Bobak

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

  WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.

  This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, and places are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  LOVE IN CHAOS

  Curvy Women Wanted, 28

  Sam Crescent

  Copyright © 2021

  Chapter One

  Maggie gripped the hand wrapped firmly around her throat. She hadn’t been expecting the attack, so the gun she’d found during her travels was still in her backpack. This fucking sucked because she hadn’t thought anyone was following her. When the world went to shit when she was eighteen years old, she hadn’t expected to survive for so long. Now, three years down the line, she was still traveling, still alive, and as yet, had never encountered any men. She’d seen them lurking around, and she’d always been careful.

  In this new world, where there were no rules, she’d seen what some of the men had done, what they were now capable of, and she did everything in her power to avoid them. Only now, she was trapped against a wall, hands squeezing the very essence out of her.

  If she screamed, it could possibly alert the biker crew she’d heard rumbling through. She hadn’t gotten her license, and any chance of driving was lost to her. Before the world went to shit, her only focus had been on her studies.

  Three years, and she still wasn’t entirely sure what the fuck happened to kill billions of people. Some claimed a nuclear missile gone bad. Others believed there were toxins in the water. This one was hard for her to believe since she’d drunk the water plenty of times. She’d done so for thirst, and other times, to see if people were right. Then of course there was the virus claim. From what she remembered, no one got sick. Her parents had been driving the car, trying to get away from all the fighting when it happened. They just … died. No reason. No explanation. Dead.

  The car had crashed into a tree and it took her two days to get out.

  Pushing all of those thoughts aside, she tensed up as the man got closer. “He’s going to love you.” The man smiled, showing several missing teeth. “This will make him forgive me.”

  “Let me go.”

  “No. No can do.”

  “Please, I have food.”

  His grip tightened around her neck. “You’re going to him as an offering.” He let her go, but then she cried out as his hand went to her hair. Without any more words, he started to pull her along.

  She tightened her nails on his exposed arm and tore into his flesh. He let her go with a howl, the noises he made barely human. She rushed toward her backpack, but she wasn’t fast enough. He grabbed her hair and dragged her out of the room. This time, she had her bag.

  The pain returned and she tried to get to her gun, but he took it from her, holding it against his side.

  “Please, you don’t have to do this. My name is Maggie. What is your name?”

  “I have no name.”

  What the hell was she supposed to do? Trying to reason with a crazy man wasn’t helping her cause.

  “Please, let me go. If you ever had a daughter, you’d let me go. You wouldn’t want to hurt me.”

  The man stopped. “I had a daughter.”

  Hope filled her.

  “But she’s dead. So fucking dead, and has been for three years. She was one of the taken.” He growled again. More animal than human.

  He didn’t stop.

  The sound of the party she’d been hoping to avoid grew louder, terrifying her to the core at just how close they were getting. She’d hidden during parties like this.

  All night, she had heard the screams as men took unwilling women. Fear ran down her back and tears filled her eyes. She didn’t know why she’d lived and her parents died.

  Three years she’d been surviving.

  Three years of hunting for food.

  Three years of treating all her own cuts and bruises.

  Three years of living alone and only talking to herself.

  And this was how she was going to end up. Within a matter of seconds, she was thrown to the ground in the center of a small bonfire party, in front of a pair of dirty boots. The mud on them was crusted dry, and it looked thick. She didn’t dare look up. Instead, keeping her gaze downward, she rubbed at the spot the man had been holding her at. One day, if she ever made it out of here alive, she was going to blow his fucking brains out.

  She’d been lucky. Three years with no interaction with anyone. The gun had been more of a precaution. Now, it came down to this.

  “I brought you an offering, Clay. I found her. She was sleeping.”

  She was trying to, but the nightmares were being a bit of a pain in the ass. There was no sleep for her.

  Gritting her teeth, she kept all the words she wanted to spew out at him to herself. Now wasn’t the time to complain, but she wanted to. Oh, boy, did she want to.

  “I’m not interested in what you have to say, Snots.”

  The voice … she vaguely recognized it. Frowning, she had no choice but to look up, curiosity getting the better of her and as she did, she froze to the spot.

  She would have known him anywhere. Even after three years.

  Pressing her lips together, she didn’t think he’d recognize her. He’d never given any indication of even knowing she existed in his classes.

  Now as she looked at him, she felt sick to her stomach.

  Before her stood her teacher, Mr. Knight. She didn’t know his first name. Back then, he was her History teacher, but he’d also taught gym and had been the football team’s coach as well. He was loved and adored. She’d crushed on him for a long time, but being the fat girl, she’d never acted on it. Never even talked to him. In class, she always kept to herself and never drew his attention. He never noticed her, but she always wanted him to. It was so absurd. A student having a crush on a teacher, was such a cliché.

  As she looked at him now, though, she wondered if he even remembered her.

  “Well, well, well, if it’s not Miss Hunt,” he said.

  Yep, he definitely remembered her. She didn’t know if that was good or bad.

  ****

  Clayton, or Clay to the crew he’d managed to rummage out of thin air, stared down at his ex-student. He’d long given up thinking about the days when he was just a high school teacher. He’d been in his office grading papers when a couple of students had crashed through his door, attacking each other before they actually killed one another. From that day forward, nothing had ever been the same.

  He didn’t have a clue what happened. No one did. Just the whispers and rumors that had followed the last few years. All speculation, none of it accurate. When the satellites went out, all forms of modern-day communication went out with them. No one knew where it started, or how it happened, just that his life of helping the future generations had ceased. He’d stopped caring long ago.

  Probably after his first kill. He had way too many to count now, but as he stared down at Maggie Hunt, all his old feelings started to stir.

  She was beautiful back then, forbidden to him. Now, she’d be twenty-one, maybe. Not that age and the law had much respect around here.

  Much to his surprise, she still had her curves. They weren’t as round as they were back in high school. She’d sit i
n the back of his class, but he’d recognize her. It was the first time in his life he’d ever recognized a student and looked forward to classes with her. He’d notice her during gym, when again, she’d try to blend into the background.

  Maggie lifted her head. Her blues staring back at him in shock. She recognized him. “Hello, Mr. Knight.”

  “Did I do good, boss? Did I make it right?” Snots asked.

  “Go away.” Clay wasn’t interested in Snots. Yes, the asshole had brought him a ripe peach, but that didn’t mean he’d forgive him. The asshole had accidentally blown their stash of supplies, which was why he and the crew had to move. They had to find another location where they could set up for the coming winter.

  Snots had been trying to make it up to him since. He wasn’t having any of it. The man was a weak link, and Clayton’s biggest mistake so far was failing to get rid of the man who was bringing them down.

  As much as he liked Maggie being on her knees before him, he held out his hand. She looked at it as if it would in some way offend her, which pissed him off. “Take it,” he said.

  She put her hand within his, and he felt the slight tremble in his grip. “You’re afraid.”

  “I was hiding,” she said. “That’s all I’ve been doing since my parents died. Hiding. Surviving.” She pressed her lips together. “I thought everyone I knew was gone.”

  He covered her mouth with his own, kissing her hard. “Do not think for a second I’m your savior, Maggie. I’m not.” He grabbed her arm and his men and women all stood up.

  Over the years, he’d helped so many. Three women he’d stopped from being raped. Their faces bore the scars of the fears they’d faced. Men were the same. Two were quite small and he’d freed them from gangs who’d been using them for their own pleasure. Each person had a horror story to tell, and united in his group, they all took care of one another.

  However, Snots was proving to be rather difficult. Clayton couldn’t force his members to try to protect those that seemed intent on harming others, and he wouldn’t do it.

  Entering the motel where they’d set up for the night, he threw her away from him and locked the door. She caught herself before hitting the floor. She whirled around to face him and he looked his fill.

  “Don’t treat me like the teacher you once knew.”

  “You are.”

  “No, I’m not.” He advanced toward her. “I haven’t been that man in a long time.” He wrapped his fingers around her neck. He didn’t tighten his hold, but the threat was there. He stared into her eyes. “No one is the same in this world. Not anymore. Like you, Maggie. What will you do to survive?”

  “What?” she asked. Her hands were on his arm, almost trying to pull him away, but he kept a hold of her. He didn’t want to let her go. The beat of her pulse beneath his fingers was a heady experience.

  Clayton pulled her close so his lips were right next to her ear. “I can protect you.”

  She looked up at him. “I’ve been doing fine.”

  He chuckled. “Maggie, I’m not going to let you go.” He’d wanted her back then, but it had been illegal for him to take her. Now, there was no reason to wait. No reason to be disgusted with himself. “I’ll make your life easier.”

  “But you have a price.”

  “Everyone has a price. Will you be willing to pay it?” he asked.

  “Try me.”

  He smirked. As he marched her back toward the wall, she let out a gasp. He took her arms, holding them up above her head, keeping her trapped. “You will be my fuck toy. At my beck and call. This body, this pussy, ass, and mouth, it all belongs to me to use when I see fit.”

  “You can’t be serious.”

  “I am. Give me everything, and in return, I’ll give you what you need.”

  “You can’t bring my parents back.”

  “Don’t be a fucking child. You know I can’t bring anyone back, but I can give you what a woman like you needs. Protection. Have you been attacked? Have you seen what men do?”

  Tears filled her eyes. “I’ve seen what they can do.”

  “Have they hurt you?” he asked.

  “No.”

  “They haven’t?” This did surprise him.

  “I’ve been good at hiding.”

  “Good. Do we have a deal?” he asked.

  Chapter Two

  With how close he was, Maggie was having a hard time struggling to focus on what he was actually saying. It was all a little surreal to her. Mr. Knight wanted her to belong to him. The way he looked at her, she’d have given anything in class for him to see her.

  “I’ve done just fine on my own.”

  “Everyone does until their day comes. You think you’re going to get away with hiding all the time. Someone will find you, and if you don’t have my crew at your back, well, you’re fucked.” He released her neck, stepping back.

  “You’re my teacher.”

  He laughed. “Babe, I haven’t been your teacher in a long time.” He reached out and stroked a finger across her nipple.

  She gasped but didn’t pull away.

  “It’s time you stopped thinking about what was right, Maggie, and started to think of survival and what you need in this world to survive. I could give it to you.”

  She licked her lips.

  “Thirsty?” he asked.

  She nodded.

  He moved toward the fridge, opening it up, and she spotted several cans of beer and bottles of water.

  “How?” she asked.

  “Some places haven’t been explored. I’m guessing our population has dwindled quite significantly. It’s time we take as many chances as we can get to survive.” He tossed her a bottle, taking out a can of beer for himself.

  She unscrewed the lid, still watching him. Unsure.

  “You won’t share me?” she asked.

  “No. I don’t share. You will belong to me and others will know it.”

  She nodded.

  “Is that you agreeing?”

  “Will you let me go if I say no?” she asked.

  “Do you really think this is a place for a woman on her own?”

  She shoved back some hair and hated how dirty she felt. It had been a week since she last had a shower.

  “Would you like to use the bathroom?” he asked.

  “Yes.”

  “It’s through there.” He pointed behind her.

  She took a swig of her water bottle and thanked him. At the doorway, she hesitated, glancing back at him. “I need my clothes.”

  “Are they washed?” he asked.

  “Yes.”

  “You really have survived,” he said.

  “I’ve done what I can to make it through.”

  “Haven’t we all? It could be worse, Maggie,” he said.

  “What could be?”

  “I could have said that you had to service all of my men. One of the women, I saved her from a camp that was doing that to her, making her fuck six men, one after the other.”

  “I don’t think I’m ever going to get used to you … like this.”

  “Do so, or you’re going to end up dead. The old life is gone. This is who I am now. Go and shower.”

  Clayton slammed out the door. She didn’t know when he’d stopped being Mr. Knight inside her head, but it had occurred in the last few minutes.

  He’s not your teacher anymore.

  He wasn’t even a friend.

  Going into the shower, she looked at her reflection in the cracked mirror. There was dirt on her cheeks and her hair looked greasy.

  After removing her clothes, she went to the shower and turned it on. The spray was freezing cold, but much to her surprise, after a few seconds, it was nice and warm. Stepping beneath the spray, she noticed bottles of shampoo.

  The last few years she’d enjoyed cold showers, lake dips, and even random sink baths, where she used a sponge to wipe her body. A hot shower was a luxury she hadn’t experienced in a long time. This was like a trip to the spa her mother used
to talk about all the time.

  Head tilted back, she closed her eyes, loving the water washing down her body.

  She massaged the shampoo into her scalp, feeling cleaner with every passing second.

  A yelp escaped her as she heard someone join her in the shower. She quickly tried to cover her naked body.

  Clayton was already naked, and fuck, he was covered in tattoos.

  She’d never seen him without a shirt, but now, his arms were decorated, some tribal and other designs escaping up his chest. On his back were flames, but she didn’t get to see more of him there.

  “Pete did the work,” Clayton said, forcing her to stop looking all over his body.

  “I’m naked.”

  “I know.” His gaze ran over her body and she watched, mesmerized as he licked his lips. “And I don’t have a problem with that.”

  “I didn’t give you my answer.”

  He rolled his eyes. “You can play hard to get all you want.” He took her hand, placing it on his chest. “You feel me. I’m real. I’m offering you a better chance of survival.”

  “Don’t you have other women to use?”

  “I want you.” He spun her around, pressing her up against the tiled wall.

  She wasn’t afraid. The hard press of his cock against her ass made her very much aware of how much he liked being close to her.

  “Do you have any idea how many times I thought about fucking you? How I wanted to bend you over my desk and show you what a real man can do? I’ve never thought about a student like that. Never wanted to have her tits bouncing in front of my face as she rode my cock, or better yet, have her on my face so I could lick her virgin cunt,” he said. “You, Maggie, you tortured me. And you think I’m going to let you get away? You haven’t got a chance.”

  One of his hands was on her stomach, and she gasped as he slowly began to slide his hands down between her thighs.