SHOOT: A Novel

by Kristen Flowers

  “Fuck,” she cried out with a panting breath into the bed sheets.

  Nathan started rubbing one of her ass cheeks with his hand playfully pinching her from time to time. She knew exactly what he was aching for and to say she didn’t want it was a lie.

  “Do it,” she cried out. Without another moment he reached back and gave her a sharp smack on her cheek. Emma hissed through her teeth as her skin flared red. There was nothing she loved more than the perfect blend of pain and pleasure.

  She let out a heavy moan against a pillow. He hadn’t let up on the way he was thrusting deep into her, almost hitting that sweet spot but purposely avoiding it. He shifted his body and pushed his cock deep inside her, this time hitting her perfectly. She cried out in sheer pleasure as he swung his hand back for another punishing slap that bounced off the walls.

  She grabbed the pillow tighter and placed it under her face, her fingers curling around the edges so tightly her knuckles turned white.

  His hips smacked against her stinging skin as he drove his cock deeper. She cried out, making every effort to relax her muscles and give in to the pain and pleasure. He gripped her hips and jabbed deep inside, forcing a pained whimper to escape her.

  Emma moaned loudly into the pillow, her body shaking.

  “Fuck!” she screamed out. He continued working his cock in and out of her, picking up the pace as the minutes ticked by.

  It felt so damn good, but the discomfort from her spanking couldn’t be ignored. Nathan took a few more long strokes until her shaking died down and the loud moans of pleasure took over. He held onto her hips and started thrusting in and out until he had her downright screaming.

  That was when he reached around to rub her clit. At the moment her body tensed up, she choked out a breath as the orgasm slammed into her. Nathan was thrusting against her mercilessly now, but it didn’t last long. His hands clutched at her hips so tight it nearly hurt. He buried his cock as deep as he could. His body went stiff and his thrusting stopped as he came with her.

  “Oh fuck,” he grunted with the final pump of his orgasm.

  He fell onto the bed on his side, opening his eyes to look at her. Emma was still collapsed forward with her ass in the air, trying to catch her breath and steady her body.

  Finally, she dropped down and curled onto her side to look into Nathan’s beautiful, deep blue eyes.

  He had just reached out to run his hand down her cheek when they heard a loud bang from the living room.

  Nathan hopped out of the bed at once. Emma curled up in the bed, covering her naked body with the blankets.

  Nathan skidded to a halt as soon as the three men with guns came into view.

  Chapter Four

  Emma didn’t even realize what was happening at first. Nathan jumped forward and threw a punch, forcing the man back into the wall and crumpling to the ground. The other two men jumped on him at the same time. Emma covered her naked body with the comforter. She knew they had to have seen her, but they were focusing on Nathan and there was nothing she could do.

  Her heart was pounding and he body shaking. This had to be Nick’s work, there was no other explanation for three armed men busting into Nathan’s apartment. She wondered if Nick had even assumed she would go to Nathan right after and was getting twice the kick out of all this thinking she would get caught by his men as well. Nathan was struggling against the weight of the two men as she curled up against the headboard and peered out over the blanket.

  She saw Nathan pinned to the floor with a gun pressed against his head and it took everything in her not to scream out in terror. Then she froze. The other man walked in and sneered as soon as his eyes landed on her, his gun now pointing directly at her chest. She couldn’t even breathe. There was no way she could see them getting out of this. It was sure death. Nathan’s little conversation with Nick had come to this. It was too late for her to get out of this alive.

  Her thoughts were interrupted when the man pointing the gun at her spoke up. “Nick is not to be fucked with.”

  He stepped over Nathan, who was still pressed into the ground by the other man’s gun, and walked forward to Emma. He pressed the gun to her chest and moved it downward to expose her breasts. She didn’t even dare cover her body back up. He looked down at her and placed his free hand on the buckle of his belt, smacking his tongue against his teeth.

  “Tell ‘em,” he barked at the other man, his gaze not leaving Emma’s exposed breasts even for a second. The gun felt cold pressed into her stomach.

  “Now ya either do the deal Nick proposed or both you and Emma die,” he said, pressing his gun into the side of Nathan’s head. It didn’t take long for him to reluctantly agree to the deal, if only for the sake of staying alive and getting them out of his home.

  “Can’t be a little fuck and be obvious about it either. You go down in the third round, you heard?”

  Nathan agreed to Nick’s demands sent over by armed messengers. The two of the men backed out of the room, guns still pointed at Emma and Nathan, pushing the third man out the door. As soon as it shut, Nathan ran over to secure it although the lock was broken. He immediately ran back into the room to find Emma, who was clearly shaken up, on the verge of tears.

  “Fuck,” Nathan said, fist curled up and ready to be hurled at someone or something. Emma’s body shook and tears spilled out the corners of her eyes. This was the type of thing she hoped to avoid every day she was part of this lifestyle but, in the end, she hadn’t managed to escape it.

  “I can’t stand seeing you this way,” he muttered. He walked forward and pulled the blanket up to cover her exposed body. Although he wasn’t someone she wanted to hide her body from, it was comforting for him to do it.

  “No one fuckin’ treats my girl this way,” he muttered, his voice low and dangerous. There was a little quiver in it that suggested just how furious he was.

  Emma wanted to plead with him not to make any rash decisions, but she knew it was pointless. Not only that, she was frankly thinking something needed to be done to put a stop to this. She had the sinking feeling Nick would never stop targeting them. Even if he didn’t want her, he wanted to make it impossible for her to be with anybody else. And he hated being outdone, something that Nathan threatened to do all on his own.

  “I’m not throwing that fight,” he declared. Emma looked up at him, heart racing. After what had just happened, how could he actually say that? “I’m going to win that fight. I don’t care what Nick says or how the fuck he threatens me. This isn’t ending like this.” He paced up and down the bedroom, running his index finger on his upper lip.

  Emma could tell he was thinking and coming up with a plan, but she didn’t like it one bit. She had already warned him Nick wasn’t the type to defy and the three armed men had proven her point. She couldn’t understand what was running through his mind.

  Finally, he stopped pacing and turned to look at her. He saw the fear in her eyes and walked over to her, kneeling down beside the bed and placing his hand on her thigh.

  “There’s only one way about this. I’m going to Alex Moretti.”

  “You’re what?” Emma finally spoke. That seemed even worse of an idea than anything that had passed through her mind.

  “I’m gonna make a deal with the guy. If I win the big fight against ‘Tiger’ when Moretti comes to watch, there’ll be a big payout.” He paused and looked into Emma’s eyes with hope. She wasn’t sure what he was getting at but the road seemed far too dangerous. Nathan hopped up onto the bed and gently placed a hand against her cheek.

  “Then we can use the money from that to leave Chicago and go to California.”

  Silence.

  They stared at each other, Nathan waiting for her response and Emma trying to find one in the mess of thoughts running through her mind. It was awfully dangerous, but one of the most tempting things she had ever come across. She knew deep down that even if they did as Nick wanted now, it was only the start of his torture of them. One way or another t
hey had to leave Chicago.

  If she felt it was too late to get out now, she could only imagine how it would be after more time had passed. After some thought she agreed; although somewhat reluctantly.

  “I’ll talk to Moretti before the fight,” Nathan told her.

  Chapter Five

  The night of the fight finally arrived. It had been a tumultuous time leading up to it, mainly because Emma was incredibly nervous. She knew Nathan was too, but he didn’t show it. He was being strong for her and for the sake of appearance. As she watched him lock up the moving truck that was packed with all their belongings and ready to go, she realized her questions about the relationship had mostly been answered.

  Now there was a real chance for them to have a future together. They kept the moving truck at a storage unit just outside of the city ready to go for their escape, so they hopped into his car and drove down the highway toward The Ring.

  The moment of truth was fast approaching, but Emma wasn’t as jittery as she thought she would be. All of it seemed so surreal. It was also Nathan’s confidence and strength that brought a comfort to her.

  Once they arrived, Nathan went directly to the locker room to get ready for arguably the most important fight of his life. The fight wasn’t just against his opponent, ‘Tiger’, but also against Nick. She was more worried about the latter than the one he’d be going toe to toe with in the ring.

  Emma undid another button of her top to show off some cleavage and put on her poker face. If this was going to go off without a hitch, she had to play her own part in it. So she went to the betting booth and sat next to Laura, who was already taking bets for the big event. She made small talk, as usual, and leaned forward to show some enticing cleavage to the men recklessly betting away their cash. She was doing it on purpose because she knew Nick was keeping an eye on her and she could see him scoffing at her actions.

  Now he certainly thought she was a whore, she thought with a little giggle. It was right then that Emma got a text from Nathan letting her know the deal had been officially made with Alex. Her stomach did a little flip. This was really happening. The plan was already in full action and there was no turning back now.

  It was only a couple minutes later when none other than Alex Moretti walked up to Emma’s window. There were three men with him, one on each side and the third behind him. It was quite obvious they were his bodyguards. It alarmed her to figure out he knew who she was even though they had never officially met, but then she realized that was to be expected. He cleared his throat and leaned forward, placing his elbow on the little ledge sticking out the booth window.

  He quietly placed his bet on Nathan before loudly saying, “He is the best fighter in the city.” His gaze lingered on Emma for just a moment before he winked and turned around. Her throat felt scratchy as she nervously swallowed against dryness. She could tell he was subtly sending her a message—Nathan better win, or else.

  As soon as Moretti walked away, the first bell of the fight rang. Emma and Laura closed up the booth windows and got organized to walk out for the fight. This was the part Emma always hated the most, but tonight she felt an even greater dread for it. The crowd was bigger and louder than usual. She noticed a lot were there cheering for Nathan, but Tiger had plenty of fans of his own. He was regarded as the second-best fighter in Chicago, after all, and this was no small event. In fact, this was pretty much the big time when it came to underground fights. She wanted to feel proud of Nathan, but the situation just didn’t allow her to do so in earnest.

  The two men in the ring started moving back and forth, looking intensely at one another. She knew each was sizing the other up and thinking of when to throw the first punch. Tiger swung first, but Nathan expertly dodged out of the way, taking the opportunity to take his own swing. Tiger was too good for that and avoided it with equal skill. The crowd jeered. They wanted to see blood from the start. The two men continued to swing and miss until Nathan ducked for one second too long. That was all Tiger needed to finally get his fist to collide with Nathan’s cheek.

  The punch had a tremendous force to it, forcing Nathan to stumble back. That allowed Tiger enough time to throw another and get him on the shoulder, sending Nathan’s arm swinging backward. The two men were already starting to sweat profusely under the hot lights of The Ring. Emma saw beads of sweat fly off Nathan’s arm where Tiger had caught him.

  Nathan stumbled forward, almost head-diving into the floor of the fighting ring, but it was just a way to finally get out of Tiger’s line of fire. He grabbed onto the ring ropes and pulled his body up straight before suddenly turning and successfully delivering a punch to Tiger’s stomach. It wasn’t very strong, but it was enough of a warning shot to make Tiger step back.

  Nathan swung his arm forward for another punch but Tiger was quick– he threw out a forceful punch that grazed the side of Nathan’s chin. The force of it made Nathan fall to the floor and Emma cried out, her hand covering her mouth immediately. The crowd jeered even louder, some calling out Nathan for shoddy fighting and others cheering for Tiger’s knockdown. Nathan got up quickly and got back into his fighting stance.

  For the rest of the first round, nothing more than a couple weak punches were thrown out by either fighter. The bell rang and they each retreated to their corners for water. Emma wanted to rush over to Nathan, but she held back. She didn’t usually do that and she figured it wasn’t a good idea to do something differently now that Nick was monitoring her so closely.

  The second round was even more intense than the first. There were a lot of narrow misses but as time went on, Tiger seemed to be getting the best of Nathan. Every little trick Nathan usually pulled off either failed or made him susceptible to a powerful blow from his opponent.

  Near the end of the second round, Nathan’s left eye was nearly swollen shut and a tiny cut appeared along the bridge of his nose. Emma couldn’t remember the last time she had seen him limping around so much when a fight wasn’t over yet. The cut on his nose was starting to bleed more than she liked and her gut wrenched as a million thoughts raced through her head.

  She started to worry he might actually lose the fight– which would make Nick happy, but would set Alex Moretti and his men hot on their heels. Neither of the two were enemies she wanted to make. With Alex, however, there was nobody to help them out or keep them safe. There was no getaway from him. Her stomach clenched and she started sweating.

  She watched, on edge, as Tiger landed another solid blow to Nathan’s face. His head cocked back and the crowd went silent as he crumpled to the ground. It was all she could do to push herself through the crowd of people and get as close to the ring as possible, tears in her eyes and body shaking with worry. She hated seeing the man she loved lying there as if he were lifeless. Then she caught something out of the corner of her eye.

  She turned to her right and saw Alex Moretti standing on the side of the fighting ring. He was livid. He was glaring at the crumpled heap that was Nathan. He shifted his gaze to Emma. She couldn’t turn away from him. The crowd was going crazy and it was clear nobody thought Nathan would be getting back up.

  Nobody thought “The Comeback Kid” would pull off his spectacular last minute moves this time around. From the looks of it, Moretti was one of those people. His icy stare pierced through the crowd at Emma as the referee continued his counting.

  “Four! Five!”

  Emma’s heart was pounding so hard she couldn’t hear a single thing over the thundering pulse in her ears.

  “Six!”

  Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion. Her body was being shoved about by the chanting angry men around her, but she didn’t even notice.

  “Seven! Eight!”

  She stood there, as if time had stopped, waiting to see if Nathan would get up. It seemed like the end and, as much as she hoped he would be healthy afterward, she didn’t know if it mattered. Moretti was ready to kill Nathan himself if the fight was lost.

  “Nine!”

&nb
sp; Just as the referee was about to slam his hand down on the canvas of the ring and call Tiger the winner, Nathan pushed his body up with trouble. The crowd went absolutely insane and Tiger looked like a cross between completely shocked and captivated to continue fighting someone with Nathan’s spirit. Nathan gave the referee a reassuring nod as he wiped a bit of blood and sweat away from his eye.

  Moretti immediately focused his attention on the fight and that was when Emma saw Nick standing clear across her, on the other side of the fighting ring. He was watching the fight calmly, but she knew he was keeping an eye out for what he wanted. Nick glanced across the ring at her. That’s when she saw the realization in his eyes. He was starting to piece together what was happening. If Nathan didn’t stay down at that point in the fight, he wasn’t going to stay down at all.