by Imani King
“Smoking again?” Her voice came out in a rasp. She coughed. “Didn’t you learn your lesson the first time? Piss me off and I’ll run off and make you save me.”
“Don’t joke about that,” I said, grabbing one of my white t-shirts and throwing it her way. “You scared the shit out of me.” She slipped the t-shirt over her head, letting the covers fall. I caught a glimpse of her breasts again, and my body thrummed, blood rushing to my cock. I looked away, fumbling for a clean pair of boxers that she could wear. I groaned, hyperaware of my body, thumbing the waistband of the boxer briefs I’d picked up. I thought of it, resting against her skin. I turned back and tossed them to her, turning away as she slipped them on.
“You handled it pretty well. I mean, you almost killed Clay. But he was definitely a dick.” She laughed, the sound of it sweet and airy. “But… uh… seriously, he could press charges.”
“He won’t. He knows you’re Art’s daughter, and people don’t fuck with Art.” I turned back to her, watching as she pulled the underwear up over her supple ass. My stomach twisted. Everything in me wanted to go to her and hold her in my arms, take her and make her submit to me. She wobbled, nearly falling. I stepped over and caught her arm, holding her up again.
“Oh… uh thank you.” She looked up at me, those dark eyes rich with intelligence and depth. “What do you mean that ‘people don’t fuck with Art?’” I held her close, catching the scent of her hair. Something tropical. Coconut, flowers… as sweet and clean as the girl in my arms.
“He’s well known as someone you don’t want to mess with. That Clay guy won’t want Art to know that he was… well I don’t know.” She pressed her body close to mine.
“What do you mean?” she asked, her breath hot against my shirt.
“I don’t believe your dad would set you up for something like that…” I shifted uncomfortably.
“You mean he told that guy something about me?” She paused and looked down. “I’m not surprised. Just sad. He’s all I’ve got.” The weight of her grief settled down on both of us, crushing and awful. She hadn’t even stopped to question Art’s motives.
“I know. Sometimes all you’ve got ain’t that much in the scheme of things,” I said. The New York accent felt like it was rising out of me. “Believe me I know.” She chuckled, low and soft.
“Thank you for saving me,” she said.
“Don’t mention it.” I brushed her damp hair away from her face, and she looked up.
“I was angry at you, Red. You were so full of rage when I took your stupid cigarette. And then you left me in your car, storming off like… like a child.” She brought her fingertips to my face, tracing my scars. “After all that, I shouldn’t have wanted to see you again. But I did. I wanted to know you.” I took her hand in mine and brought it to my lips, letting it fall away after a moment. I couldn’t get attached to this girl. It was all much too dangerous. Art was quick with an order to destroy any man who got in the way of his plans. And as it was shaping up, Gabi seemed to be part of some plan I wasn’t privy to.
“You don’t want to know me, Gabi. I’m not a good man. I’ve never been.” She took my right hand in hers, and despite my words, I held her still. She investigated my hand, turning it and tracing her fingers over mine.
“Does it hurt?” She tenderly touched the cuts and bruises from the night before. Punching a face is always much worse on the hand than you think it’s going to be. I winced.
“It hurts a little. But I didn’t notice until just now.”
“Good. That probably means nothing is broken. Unless you have superhuman pain tolerance. Which wouldn’t really surprise me.” She let my hand go, and I traced my finger over her cheek. Smooth as glass. But so lovely and real. She raised her hand to my neck, pressing those fingers into my hair and sending chills through my body. She pulled me in closer, bringing her lips up to mine. I knew if I started down this path, I wouldn’t be able to stop myself.
I’d never wanted someone so badly. And I’d never wanted to put everything on the line.
CHAPTER FIVE
Gabriella
He crushed his lips against mine. There was a rush of energy flowing between us, sweet and intense. I savored the warmth of his touch, his tongue glancing against mine. This man was everything I didn’t need at this time in my life. His face reflected all of that, even in its undeniable beauty. His lips searched mine, gently roaming over my bruised, swollen lip. The pain jolted through me. It seared straight through to my core, meeting my desire and building it up from the inside.
I knew what he did for a living. Or at least I had a pretty good guess. After watching him beat Clay into unconsciousness with just a few deft punches, it was pretty clear what his skill set was.
But it seemed that my body didn’t care about Red’s life, or Red’s past. He had awakened a desire I’d never felt before, igniting something primal inside of me. He pushed me back against the bed, spreading my legs apart and lifting me up. His lips never left mine, his tongue softly probing. I took in his heady, masculine scent, letting my body relax into his. A shock of desire ran through my body, wetness rushing between my legs. The energy crackled and burst between us, his lips searching, roaming over my cheek and down to the hollow of my neck. To my surprise, he licked me there, darting his tongue out to taste my skin. I shuddered and moaned.
“Oh, fuck.” I groaned. He grabbed me by the waist, his fingers digging into my flesh. With one hand, he held me up. The other traveled over my skin, kneading and touching, lifting my shirt to find my breast. His thumb brushed against my nipple, and I gasped.
“Have you ever done any of this before, sweet girl?”
I shook my head and put my hand on top of his, bringing it over to my other breast. I sighed and pushed into him, pressing my nipple into his palm. He brushed the base of his large, scarred palm against the stiffened nipple, sending ripples and sparks through me. At that moment, I didn’t care what I’d done or hadn’t done. I just wanted him. And I wanted him desperately. Beckoning his body closer, I wrapped my legs around his waist. I could feel his hardness pressing into me.
“Gabi, please, wait,” he said. But his cock throbbed against me, and I knew he wanted me too.
I’d waited for so long, and now I knew he was the one I needed. The one who would heal me and make me whole again. I thought of his body crashing into mine… his cock buried deep inside of me. My sex grew slick with need, thrumming with longing. Red moved his hands under the t-shirt again, tracing his fingers over the slight curve of my belly and up to one breast, cupping it gently and rolling it between his thumb and forefinger.
“Gabi. If I start, I won’t be able to stop.” He moved his hand over to my other breast again, brushing his fingertips over my nipple. A shock of desire shot through to my core, extending to every cell of my being. “Maybe this isn’t the right time.”
“And what exactly does that mean, Red?” My voice was husky with desire, filled with all the longing I’d built up over the years. I’d never known what I really wanted … why exactly I was waiting, what I was waiting for. But this was it. I raised my lips to Red’s, kissing him gently, taking his taste in again. I tightened my legs around him and brought him closer. This was it. This was exactly what I wanted.
“I want you to think about this, Gabi. You’ve been through so much in one day,” he said. Red pressed his cock against me, sending desperate longing through me. My body felt new and strange after the dark dreams and hallucinations that had crept into my consciousness while I slept. I drew Red closer, and he groaned. I was desperate to dismiss the danger of the night before, desperate to welcome him inside of me and make him mine. To make everything else disappear. Tears welled in my eyes, and I sought out his lips, biting down on the bottom one. He kissed me back fiercely. He picked me up then and sat back onto the bed so that I was sitting astride him.
“Do you not want me?” My voice trembled slightly.
“Gabi, I want you so bad that I can’t see stra
ight. I want to fuck you until you can’t walk.” He moved his hands from my back around to my stomach, brushing his fingers there and making my muscles tense with anticipation. Red slipped his hands downward, pulling the boxers away from my skin and slipping his hand inside. I gasped as he palmed the sensitive flesh of my sex, slipping over my slick folds. I gasped, the need raging through my body like fire. He moved two fingers on either side of my clit, barely touching the aching bundle of nerves.
“Please,” I moaned. Part of me wanted all of him right then, but I knew he was right. Still, I needed this release. I tried to rock against his fingers, tried to angle myself so that he would slip them inside of me. But he gripped my waist hard with his free hand.
“Please what?” Red chuckled, barely flicking one finger over my clit. I arched my back and let out a long, needy groan. After one more flick, barely a movement, he held his fingers on either side of my clit. I tried to move, tried to ride his hand, press his palm into me. But he held me tight, wouldn’t let me move.
“If you’re not going to fuck me, please make me come,” I said, looking into those shockingly blue eyes. Red drew me closer to him, kissing my lips gently and teasing me with his tongue.
“But what if I like teasing you first? I do like my women well-behaved,” he said. His eyes met mine and he kissed me again, his fingers still resting on the hot skin next to the center of my desire. “Take off your shirt, Gabi,” he said. I blushed, but I obeyed. I would obey to get what I wanted, to get the release I was desperate for. I pulled the shirt up over my head and threw it to the floor, watching as Red’s eyes flashed dark with desire. He brought his mouth to my breast, flicking his tongue over my nipple. My breath almost stopped, the pulsing, pounding need ripping through my body.
“Beautiful, so beautiful,” he said, his breath hot against my skin.
He slid his fingers inside of me, pressing his thumb against my clit and making circles around the sensitive bundle of nerves. My body responded with a rising heat. He ran his thumb back and forth over my clit as he used his fingers to fuck me, each thrust long and slow. He hooked the fingers inside, pressing against my g-spot. He increased the motion of his thumb, making me pant and moan. Starting to tip into the rising tide of pleasure, I groaned and rocked against him.
“Make me come, please Red,” I cried. My legs started to shake against him, and my toes clenched against the bed. Just as I started to pant and sigh, pushed over that edge, Red rolled me over and pinned me down on the bed. I sighed, my body aflame with the desire for release.
My body pulsed with each thrust of his fingers, each movement bringing me closer and closer to climax. The flames rose in my body, centering on the fullness he had created. As his thumb flicked rhythmically over my clit, I jerked against him. The room faded out around me, everything blank. The heaviness of my world evaporated like morning dew, and I was made new, made clean in this man’s arms.
The desire, the perfect pleasure, tensed and spun tighter inside of my body, flowing through my core like hot, burning coals. I bucked against his hand as the ripples of pleasure flooded my body. I melted into his arms and gave myself over to the wave of crashing need, the ache and burn of pleasure like I’d never experienced. The tide of sensation began to recede, and Red took his fingers away. I opened my eyes to see him watching my face, smiling faintly.
“You have no idea what you do to me. I’d take you right now and never let you go,” he sighed, putting both of his hands on my hips and pulling me closer.
“Show me,” I said. Despite the night I’d had, I wanted him. After years of solitude… after years of isolation, I needed this. This man undid me.
“As much as I want to,” he said, his hardness pressing into my thigh, “I can’t be your first. Not like this.” I blushed. I must have blurted that out during my drug-fueled rant the night before.
“Goddamn my mouth,” I said, looking down and away from him. I hadn’t meant to get to twenty years old without losing my virginity. But here I was. Here we both were.
“It’s not fair to you, Gabi. You need time to figure out what you want. Decide if you’d really want someone like me.” A faint flush rose over his body, as if he were embarrassed to say the words. I was betting it wasn’t something he often said to women. “Maybe we should even… plan a time to get to know each other better.”
“You mean, like a date?” I laughed and drew him into an embrace. For a man who had beaten a guy bloody to save me, his words seemed sweet and unexpected.
“Yeah sure, if you want to call it that.” I kissed him again, savoring his taste.
And I wondered when the last time was that Red had been on a date.
Red
Two days later, I was waiting, smoking on my balcony. Waiting like a fool, awake in the daylight and not even hungover. I’d spent the past forty-eight hours thinking of nothing but her, getting off in the shower and coming hard. I thought of spreading her legs, pushing inside for the very first time, how tight she’d been on my fingers. She didn’t know what kind of fire she was messing with. I wasn’t the kind of person she really wanted. And I’d already gone much too far.
I thought of her muscles tensing, her slick wetness against my fingers. Her voice when she’d cried out… it was so pure, so agonizingly perfect. I wanted to watch her come every day for the rest of my life. Her face had transformed into a mask of delight, almost sending me over the edge myself.
It had been a long time since I’d wanted a woman so much. Since I’d wanted to make a woman submit to my will … all while giving everything that I could give.
Maybe I hadn’t ever.
I straightened my tie before I walked out of the penthouse to meet Gabi. Since I’d taken her home, my maid had removed all traces of her impromptu visit. Her father hadn’t even seemed to notice that his girl had been gone a whole night. It had been business as usual, with Art setting up a time for me to meet with the men he owed. And an arched eyebrow when he mentioned the dick bag producer who’d been found in a pool of his own vomit.
I’d laughed at that one. Art knew it was me, but he didn’t give a single shit. The guy wouldn’t rat on me because I was obviously a member of Art’s crew. And Art wouldn’t say anything because he knew he’d sent his own daughter into that fire. Cold and ruthless, that fucking man. I cringed at the thought of working for him, cringed at my own stupidity. My errors, long past.
And here I was, sneaking around behind Art’s back.
I was supposed to meet Gabi here for something like a date. The thought of seeing her again sent a thrill through my body. I had wanted her so bad when she was here, but I couldn’t take her virginity on the same night she’d been handled by that man.
Normally I wouldn’t care. Or I wouldn’t have gotten myself into that situation. I preferred my interactions with women to be simple, sexual affairs. None of this emotional entanglement. Just bring them home and fuck them until they were weak in the knees.
Gabi was different. I wanted all of that… and more.
I laughed at the absurdity of it and flicked my ash over the balcony. I stubbed out the cigarette and put it in the cup I’d brought out with me. Normally I’d throw it over the edge and watch it fall into the street. But Gabi. She wouldn’t like that.
I’d fucked a lot of women, and sure, I’d taken them along to parties or out to bars. And I’d occasionally bought drinks and dinner.
But with Gabi, it felt like I was stepping up to the edge of an abyss. And if I went forward, I’d fall into oblivion. I looked at my watch and walked out to my balcony, scanning the street below for her Audi. I took out my pack of Dunhills and tapped it against my hand, pulling out another perfectly packed cigarette. I put it between my teeth and leaned over to light it, but I heard Gabi’s voice in my head just as the flame hit the paper.
Disgusting habit, Red.
I sighed and put the cigarette back in the pack. At least for tonight, I could hold off on chain smoking. I wanted to taste Gabi when I kissed those
lips… when I let my tongue slide against her flesh. I saw the Audi drive past, caught a glimpse of Gabi’s thick wavy hair through the window.
