by C. D. Samuda
She jerked, her head whipping around while her eyes blazed. “Don’t you put your lips on me!”
As soon as the last word left her mouth it was mine. This time she put up a feisty fight. The previous kiss was lips only. This time I plunged my tongue into her sweet recesses, entangling hers with mine. A growl, followed by a whimper emitted from her, as a tremor passed through us both.
I slowed the kiss, taking my time to stroke her tongue while, sliding my palm into hers, lacing our fingers together. She gripped my hand tightly, pushing against me while arching her body into mine. I could tell she was still fighting whatever was happening between us. I eased back from the kiss, only to take her bottom lip between both of mine. She thrust her head back with a moan as I ran my tongue long her base of her teeth.
“I wonder if you pussy tastes as good as your lips,” I whispered against her mouth. “I want to stick my tongue inside you and taste your juices as they flow inside my mouth.”
“No,” she protested, even as a shudder ran through her. “No.”
“Yes,” I returned. “I know you want to feel my tongue on your clit.”
“Just shut up.” Her voice became hard. “You fucking slut. This is what you do, fuck women for information. Well, let me tell you something, I am not Zoe. I won’t give in because you’re a good kisser.”
I raised my head and stared into her magnetic pools. “You got me wrong Kitara. I don’t want to fuck you for information’s sake. I just want to fuck you.”
“Why?”
Grinding my hips against hers, I continued to look into her eyes, watching their colors swirl around. “You feel that?” I asked. “That’s why. It’s been that hard since meeting you.”
“But you just done screwing my roommate.”
“I told you, once you belong to me, I won't even look at another woman.”
A dainty little laugh enlivened her face, bringing a sensual softness to it. Even her eyes were now dancing from amusement. Her voice when she spoke was soft and full of mirth. “You’re so full of shit. What gave you the idea that I want to belong to you?”
I leaned down close to her ear, making sure my lips brushed her skin as I spoke. “The way you respond to me. You belong to me Kitara, you just don’t know it yet.”
“You’re really as arrogant as they say the Wilder men are,” she added. “Let me go and I’ll tell you who Jack is.”
“Just like that?”
“I don’t have time for your shit and I know you won’t stop harassing me until I end up with my panties at my ankles.”
“That wouldn’t be so bad,” I replied. “Now you’re giving me ideas.”
“Get your mind out of the gutter. I don’t sleep with men I hardly know.”
“That sounds like an invitation for us to get to know each other. I’m game.”
“Just let me go and we talk about Jack and the fact that Leroy paid him to ice Gage.”
My entire being went cold, except for my dick which remained like a stone statue in my pants. Her words ricocheted off my brain and bounced right back, sinking deep into the excesses of the gray matter there. I held myself still for a moment, allowing her words to take effect. I knew Leroy was the devil’s spawn, I had no idea just how much he wanted Gage gone.
“What?”
“Yeah, Jack is a mercenary who will stop at nothing until he accomplishes his job.”
I stepped back, hating the distance between our bodies. I released her hand, turned and walked a few paces away while my mind tried to piece together the puzzle of Gage’s accident. I couldn’t, because I didn’t have all the pieces.
Her presence was warm as she came to stand beside me, our arms brushing. I was surprised she didn’t just jump back on her motorbike and speed away.
“Are you okay?” She asked.
“Yeah, I’m good. We’ve been too lenient with big Brother Leroy. It’s time to put an end to his reign. But I must find Gage first. Now tell me, why are you looking for this Jack?”
“Why should I tell you anything?”
Glancing own at her, I noted that her eyes had a faraway look. Her face was set and I could tell she was experiencing something painful. In that moment, I knew that whatever the reason for her looking for Jack, it was also now my own.
“Because two heads are better than one and it’s obvious you’re looking for him because of something he did. Did he break your heart or something?”
“He killed my father and brother. I knew it was a hit, that’s what he does. But I haven’t been able to figure out who hired him.”
I turned to face her. “And you’re searching for this assassin on your own?”
“It’s not like I have another brother to help me. I’m an orphan now.”
“I know how that feels, losing your parents.”
“You have your brothers.”
I nodded. “Yeah, some brothers, huh?”
“Why does Leroy hate Gage so much?” She asked, then rushed to explain. “Zoe told me some things.”
“I used to think it was because their father left the company to Gage, but that’s not it. Leroy doesn’t want the company. He wants everything Gage has.”
She scrunched her face. “Why do you say it like that, you know… their father?”
“Because, he isn’t my biological dad.”
“I didn’t know that,” she replied. “But that doesn’t matter. You’re adopted, right? He raised you and that makes him your father.”
“You’re right. I’m not dissing Roman, he treated me like his own son. It’s just that sometimes, there’s a hollowness inside here,” I said, thumbing my chest. “Like something is missing and the only time I feel close to filling that void is when Gage is around.”
“I never took you for a guy who would admit they had a weakness.”
Turning fully to face her, I crooked a finger under her chin. “I’m weak for you.”
She brushed my hand away. “If we’re gonna be working together, you keep your hands and feelings to yourself.”
“Work together?”
“Yeah, to take down Jack.”
9 – Kitara
It was a long shot, I knew that. But from what I learned about Braun, he was a resourceful youth. He was probably the only one with the mettle to take down Leroy. It was obvious he loved his brother Gage and would do anything to protect him, just as I would do anything to bring my brother and father’s killer to justice. And when I said justice, I didn’t mean law enforcement.
The night my brother and father was killed was forever printed in my mind. I was supposed to be away at school, but had come down with a bug and come home that evening to the surprise of my family. It was obvious that Jack didn’t know that anyone else was inside the house because he didn’t bother checking my bedroom.
My brother and father were taken out of bed and put to kneel beside each other in the hall. I had taken some medicine, which had made me drowsy and had gone to bed early. At around midnight, I awoke soaking wet and thirsty. When I got off the bed and reached my bedroom door. I heard my father’s voice pleading for my brother’s life. I was frozen to the spot for a minute. I started to rush forward when something held me back. I wanted to go to my father and brother, but also wanted to save them. I knew if I had gone out into that hallway, I would also be dead.
Backtracking a bit, I came back to the bed and picked up my cell phone from the nightstand. It was dead. Just my luck. I tossed it on the bed and came back to the door, cracking it just a slit. I was able to see the back of a man who I later learned was Jack. Both my father and brother were kneeling with their hands clasped behind the head. Two men were standing behind them as guards.
“Take whatever you want. I’ll give you the code to the safe,” my father pleaded. “Just don’t hurt my son.”
“Sorry Sir,” Jack replied. “I didn’t come to rob you. I came to kill you, that’s my job.”
“Then what are you waiting for?” My brother’s agitation showed in his voice.
“Just do it.”
“Patience, patience. I am awaiting my directives from my superior. I don’t want your blood on my hands,” he said easily. “What if he changed his mind? I always confirm my causalities before turning them into ghosts.”
“Who is your superior?” My father asked. “Why does he want to kill us?”
“I am unable to answer your questions, Sir. I am only following orders.”
“At least tell us who sent you,” my brother insisted.
At the moment, his phone rang and he answered it. A moment later he hung up and slipped the phone into his jeans pocket. He then reached into his jacket and took out a handgun, walked the few paces to stand behind my brother and father. The men standing there stepped back. My heart stopped beating while I held my breath and tried my best not to scream. The man callously shot my father and brother execution style. I watched as their bodies sank lifeless to the hardwood floor.
“Jack, should we torched the place?” One of the men asked and that’s how I learned his name.
But what stood out for me was the face with a scar on the right cheek, brown hair that fell carelessly about his nape with a stray lock caressing his forehead. Had I seen this man on the streets, he’d be a damn gorgeous creature. I would have thought the scar was one of valor. Another thing that struck me was the dog tag hanging around his neck. This told me he was ex-military.
“No,” his voice broke through my scrutiny. “Let the authorities clean up this mess. Our job is done. The boss doesn’t want the house destroyed. There’s a kid in college who needs it.”
Those words made my heart thunder as cold fingers gripped my spine. They knew about me, but thought I was at college. I moved away from the door and sprinted over to my closet. I didn’t want them sensing my presence. At the very least, I wanted to remain alive to find out who hired Jack to assassinate my sibling and parent.
I’d been friends with Zoe for a while, having met her while on a school trip to the Kalamazoo Valley Museum. She’d been a security guard at the time and somehow we just connected after she caught me smoking in the ladies’ room. It was a joint I stole from one of my classmates and the last one I smoked.
When my father and brother were killed, she came to pick me up and take me to her apartment. I have been living with her since. But it seemed like fate brought Zoe and me together because I’d learned about Leroy’s business and his connections from her. I never told her about Jack, but I learned that one of Leroy’s closers was called Jack and he was ex-military.
It reached a point now in my relationship with Zoe that I felt like I was only using her for information. Although I was grateful that she’d supported me for the nine months since my brother and father’s demise, my obsession in finding this Jack was chipping away at any kind of closeness we once shared. I was depressed most of the time and was unable to sleep at night. I found myself spending most nights riding for miles, or at the gun range.
Now here was Braun, a guy around my age who was on a similar mission. I had no doubt that he would find Jack based on what little I heard about him. I looked into his hazel eyes and felt my stomach flutter just a little. Those kisses we shared a few moments ago, almost made me forget my pain. Something happened when he touched me, when his lips were on mine and when our bodies crushed together. I had never been with a man and I always thought that my first sexual experience would be with a guy I was in love with. But if I had to give away my chastity to Braun in order to find Jack, I would.
“Who said we’re working together?” He asked, his voice deep but smooth, and a little too sexy.
Braun reminded me of quick silver, an element that was both deadly and life-saving at the same time. If you didn’t know how to handle it, it could kill you in a flash. I needed to know how to handle Braun and I figured the best way was to start by stroking his sexual ego. He did say he was weak for me.
“Well, how will you woo me if we don’t get to know each other?”
However, his answer told me that he was smarter than I gave him credit for. “You’d give in to me just so you can find Jack?”
He cupped my face and brought his close to mine. Our warm breaths mingled together as my heart picked up speed.
“When we do get together, Kitara,” he continued, my name rolling off his tongue like butter. “It will be when you are ready. I want you wet and willing, begging me to take you.”
Pushing away his hand, I squared my shoulders, even though my insides were quivering. “I don’t beg, Braun. So you don’t want to help me, I’ll just find him on my own.”
“Good luck with that.”
He started to move towards his car. I was surprised that he was that callous as to allow me to find this killer on my own, or was he just bluffing? I wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of seeing me beg for his help. I also moved off towards my motorcycle, picked up my helmet and mounted. After slipping on the helmet, I pressed the ignition but the engine only chortled and died. I repeated several times and got the same results.
“What’s wrong?” Braun shouted from a few feet away.
“Nothing!” I shouted back.
Him sauntering over meant that he wasn’t buying my answer. “You’re outta gas?”
“No, I filled up at the service station a few miles back. I think my battery died.”
Before I could formulate a plan as to how I could get out of there, Braun was taking out his cell phone and dialing. In a second he was speaking with someone by the name of Angel and giving them our location.
“While we wait for Angel to arrive, you’re gonna tell me everything about your brother, father, and Jack the killer. Don’t leave out any details if you want to find this guy.”
“You mean, we’re gonna work as a team?’
“I’m not making any promises yet,” he replied. “But I’ll be damned if I let you find him by yourself. If he’s as dangerous as you say he is, I will have to protect you.”
“Who appointed you my protector?” I railed, feeling like this boy was seeing me as some weakling who needed his manly protection. “Who says I need you?”
“No matter how tough you think you are, we all need protection. I need protection, Gage does and Leroy certainly does. What makes you think you are impervious to men like Jack?”
Some of my fire died. “I didn’t say I was impervious to Jack, I just…”
“You thought I was being chauvinistic because you’re female.”
Before Braun, I’d never met a more outspoken man who made me stutter. Even I was stunned at the way my tongue tied. He was looking at me with that desire in his eyes, which seemed a permanent fixture since we met in Zoe’s apartment. I had to admit that I did see the way his cock bounce when he looked at me and the way his eyes held mine. Now, he was looking at me with the same heat and even though I didn’t have a physical experience with a man, I knew what those looks meant.
I could only stutter my answer. “No-I-…”
“I’m sure you can protect yourself under normal circumstances, but even so, this is a dangerous game.”
“I know,” I sighed. “So this means, you’re helping me… right?”
“As long as you don’t ever promise yourself for a favor. I don’t want you like that. I want all of you only if you want all of me.”
“Why you have to talk about that now?” I bellowed. “Is sex the only thing on your mind?”
“You don’t get it Kitara, this isn’t about sex. You think I’m short on women to bed?”
“Then what?”
“It’s about you and me, that thing that’s developing that’s bound to explode between us.”
I closed my eyes, trying to quell the heat that was now spreading through me. I didn’t know what it was, if it was the sound of his voice or the way the gold flecks in his eyes swirled around as he spoke to me. Something about Braun was making me react this way and I didn’t like it one bit.
10 – Braun
Something about Kitara told me she was inexpe
rienced. I could see the hidden fear behind her fiery stance. The kiss was that of someone who hadn’t been kissed often. Her response to our encounter confused her and that made me want to protect her even more. She had no idea what she was getting herself into and since she made it clear she would do anything to find her father and brother’s murderer, I had to make certain she didn’t do anything she might end up regretting, even if it was with me. These thoughts surprised even me. A month ago I wouldn’t give a fuck about her innocence, but somehow I found myself feeling quite protective of this girl.
I now understood why she was so feisty. It was her self-protection which seemed to have served her well in the past. But where other men would have obviously been turned off by her attitude, I wanted to break down her defenses… that is until I learned the truth about her. Now, all I wanted to do was make sure her defenses were sturdy enough to withstand the storm that was about to break.
While we waited for Angel and the rest of Gage’s team to get to the old construction site, Kitara told me about the night her brother and father were killed. Her mother had passed away a few years before from complications she developed after contracting pneumonia.
Her brother had just passed the BAR and had joined a prominent firm in Detroit. Her father was a retired professor who was looking forward to taking a cruise around the Caribbean. Their deaths didn’t make sense. What struck me was her vivid description of the killers and the fact that she had remained calm enough not to alert them that someone else was in the house.
“He’s ex-military too,” she said about Jack.
“How do you know that?”
“The dog tag pendant around his neck.
I scoffed. “That doesn’t mean anything. Those are a dime a dozen at any costume store or pawn shop.”
“There was something about him that was definitely military. Even the way he talked to my father and brother.”
“What did he say?”
